Rainy Days
by Silent.Angelz
Summary: Akeela is a half-demon. After being taken to the modern age, many unfortunate events unfold, among good ones. Will she be able to return to her own time?and who can she trust? -story taking place when Kagome is still little, & Iuyasha still on the tree
1. Parting

CHAPTER 1

**The Other Half-Demon**

**PARTING**

**DISCLAIMER - I own nothing of Inuyasha. Only my characters and the storyline are mine.**

**(I reuploaded this chapter because I wanted to change Akeela's appearance, those are the only things that are changed.)  
**

The sun shone brilliantly on the quiet, green meadow. The birds merry songs were carried on the breeze that rustled the nearbye is an example of a perfect, wonderful day.

The silence was then broken by a very loud, high pitched laugh.

Yuki opened her eyes and slowly sat up to see her five year old playing with a butterfly. It would land on her wolfy looking ears, and right before she caught it, it would fly away. The small girl giggled and tried jumping to catch it, she landed nicely but kind of whimpered. She had landed in thorn bushes.

Sometimes she worried about her daughter's future. Being a half-demon would be difficult when she was older.

"Akeela," She called softly, the little girl turned her head, the butterfly forgotten.

Akeela quickly bounded to her mother and hopped onto her lap, showing her white teeth (fangs included) in a huge smile.

"Yes mama?" Akeela asked sweetly in her childish voice, her huge eyes staring intently at Yuki's face.

"Let me see your paws, I am guessing you have a few stickers in your feet."

Akeela sat on her bottom and thrust out all fours.

No, Akeela was not like the other known half-demon, Inuyasha. He had only the ears and claws. He had also been greedier, after attempting to steal the Shikon Jewel, he had been killed and sealed by Kikyo, the priestess. Tragically, the priestess had died shortly afterwards. As for the looks, Akeela had a more "wolfy appearance".

She had beautiful, light blond hair that flowed down to the small of her back. Her ears were pure white, as was her tail. She has one very startling feature, her eyes. Instead of taking after the father or mothers eyes (blue or brown), she had taken on both. Her right eye was a lovely shade of blue, exact same as her mothers, and the other the same shade of brown as her fathers. At the moment, since Akeela was so small, you could not see the total beauty yet, but when she gets older she will more than likely be very beautiful. Maybe even in comparison to an angel.

Yuki carefully inspected her daughters paws, continuing with her thoughts. Akeela's father, Gin, is a wolf demon. While she, Yuki, had been a human. Hence, Akeela was a half-wolf demon.

Yuki stopped her movements and put her hand to her mouth as she sneezed, than coughed roughly for a few moments. Removing her hand, she saw a little bit of blood.

"Mama?" Asked Akeela, seeing Yuki's suddenly strained expression.

She immediately smiled, and stood up with Akeela in her arms.

"I'm fine, just a little chilly today."

*******************************

"Yuki... I'm sorry. I don't know what is wrong. I can give you this medicine for the usual, but I do not have any idea as to how I can help you."

There was a pause, "Thank you, Doctor... I will see if this other medicine works then."

There was a few scuffling sounds as the man left their little house.

Inside, Yuki and Gin sat together beside the fire in the middle of their room. Akeela slept in a corner on her little bed, her tail wrapped around herself.

"Yuki..."

"It's alright, Gin. I'll be fine."

Gin hesitated, "Well, I've found a way to help you."

She turned to him, "What have you discovered?"

"I have found a portal to the future. In the future there are many more medicines. I found a doctor who could keep the secret and help you. He claims he knows what is wrong with you."

Yuki gasped a little, "A portal to the future?"

Gin nodded, "I ... stumbled into the Bone Eaters Well. I did not land at the bottom of the well in this time, but in the far future."

"Can you take me there?" She asked, curiosity also pushing her on.

"Yes, you and Akeela may go there. I fear many bad things are going to happen here soon as well, it would be best if you weren't here." He said quitely.

Yuki's eyes opened a little wider, "But.. you'll be alright?" She asked, now a little frightened.

Gin grinned and pulled her close, "Of course."

_**------------**_

_**~Authors Note~**_

_**Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. If you find it a little boring, don't worry, it gets way more exciting!! (and I know this for sure, because I've already written a few other chapters hehee!) So if you want that second chapter faster.... PLEASE REVIEW!!! **_

_**Angel**_


	2. Strange New World

_**Hii!! so there's quite a lot that happens in this chapter... I hope I didn't speed it up too much . Oh well. Enjoy! **_

_**oh yeah, the ** means there is an explanation of that sentence at the bottom of the chapter.  
**_

CHAPTER 2

"Mommy, what are these?" Asked Akeela, holding up a small pair of jeans and a t-shirt. They were standing in their little house, it was the day that they would be going to the future. Hopefully to cure Yuki. Gin had thought of grabbing the clothes that the people in the future wore, so they wouldn't stick out.

Yuki slowly pulled off the clothes Akeela had on and helped her put on the jeans, "We are going to a far off place, Akeela. It is far different from this place," She explained in a soft, gentle voice as she helped her daughter with the strange pants.

"It feels funny."

Yuki smiled, "It will only be for a little bit Akeela, don't worry."

At that moment, Gin walked into the room.

"Daddy!" Akeela shouted gleefully as she ran into her fathers arms. "These clothes feel very strange." She said as her bottom lip puckered out a little bit.

Her father smiled a little bit, "It is alright Akeela, it is for your mothers sake."

Akeela immediately shook the frown off of her face, "If it's for mama I'll do it!" She said determinedly.

Yuki and Gin smiled at each other over her head. "It's time to go."

Ten minutes later they arrived at the monster well. It was a well where the villagers threw dead bodies of demons in.

Gin grabbed hold of Yuki's hand, and dropped a purple looking shard into her hand.

"It is the only piece of the Shikon Jewel in this world**, it is the only way to get into that world, and back. Hold it, along with Akeela's hand. Otherwise you will only land into the bottom of the well." He gently closed Yuki's hand and hugged her close, Akeela in the middle. "I love you both, so very much."

Yuki stood on the edge of the well holding Akeela close.

"I love you... please, be careful."

"Bye bye daddy! See you soon, I looove you!" Akeela said sweetly, blowing him a kiss.

The man, struggling against the tears that threatened to overflow, smiled and 'caught' the kiss.

"I love you too."

__________________________________________________________

"Mama, what are all those weird lights?!" Akeela asked fearfully, clenching onto her mother even tighter. It seemed like they were floating, and there were different colors and sparkly things floating around.

"Oh, look mama! It's sparkly!!" Akeela exclaimed with a giggle, her previous fear forgotten. She liked sparkly things.

"Oh, don't touch!" Yuki said quickly, holding her close. She didn't know what all of those weird colors dancing around were. Hallucinations maybe?

In a few seconds, her feet settled on something hard, and the colors faded away. Revealing an old well.

_This must be it..._ Yuki said to herself, and noticing a ladder, climbed up.

Stepping outside of the well and small building, she found herself in a... courtyard. It all looked very different.

"_It is exactly the same, but the tree's are gone and there are more buildings. But that well is still the same well." Gin handed her a piece of paper, it had instructions of where to go. "The doctor will meet you there, you'll be safe." He assured her._

Yuki took the paper out of her pocket and quickly started walking towards the exit of the courtyard.

Akeela and herself were wearing the modern day clothing, so they would blend in, but Yuki still felt uneasy and unsure. So many noises! and such strange, tall buildings and noisy, smelly objects that rumbled down streets with people inside them**.

She finally found the address for where the doctor was and walked in. Yuki walked to the front desk where a very professional looking woman was sitting.

"Umm... I'm looking for a Doc. Yuri."

The woman looked her up and down, than glanced down at the child. Of course, her tail was hidden by a long coat, and her ears were covered by a hat. Her paws were in gloves and she had shoes on her feet.

"Ah yes, he has been expecting you. Follow me." She said in a bored tone, but she looked curious.

_Since when does Doctor Yuri actually... help willingly?_ She wondered to herself.

The clerk opened the door and ushered them in, after they stepped through she closed to the door and left them alone.

It was a light room, even though the blinds were pulled down because of the sun. There was a large bookshelf on one side of the room, with a desk in front of the window with papers neatly stacked on it. Behind the desk was a man sitting in a chair. He had an unshaven face, brown wavy hair, and a gruff looking face. On top of all that, he wore a weird white overcoat.

"Ahh, you must be Yuki." He said in a deep, gruff voice and stood up, beckoning for them to take a seat. "I am Doc. Yuri, I... realize your condition perfectly, and am willing to help you in whichever way I can."

Yuki nodded as she slowly sat down in the seat, setting Akeela down on her lap.

"Now, to get straight to the point. What is your case exactly?" He asked, leaning forward as he sat back down.

She hesitated a little bit, something wasn't quite right with this man. They come out of the past, and yet... he doesn't find that very strange?

"Um, well, I get a fever sometimes, and... I cough up blood." She offered lamely.

"Hmmm... that is sounding like one of the cases that is getting to be rather regular, ."

Yuki leaned foward, "What is that?"

The doctor fell back in his seat a bit, waving his hand to shake off her question, "It's called tublersclosis. But first, do you spend much time around your daughter?" He asked subtly.

Yuki felt taken aback, "Every day, all day."

He nodded, "What kind of... animal, is she?" He asked, almost embarresed to ask the question.

Yuki's eyes narrowed, making the doctor flinch. "She is not an _animal, Doctor_," She said in an icy tone, "She is a human being."

Yuri cleared his throat, "O-of course, I am sorry. What other kind of genes does she have running through her?"

"Wolf."

The doc made another grunt, rubbing his hand along his prickly chin, "I should inspect her. Make sure nothing is on her that might affect you."

Yuki tensed up at this a little bit, "Is that necessary?""

Yuri gave a short nod, than looked at the little girl. "Do you mind? It will help your mama a lot." He said in a cutesy voice.

Yuki grimaced, since he said_ that_, of course she would.

Akeela brought her attention from the closet beside the bookcase to the doctor, "Sure!"

__________________________________________________________

Hat off. Coat off. Shoes off. Gloves off.

Ears exposed. Tail exposed. Paws exposed. Fangs exposed.

Doctor Yuri gave a low whistle, "Very interesting." He muttered as he inspected each inch of her wolfy parts. Every now and then he would say something about her ears or tail rather loudly, making Yuki wonder.

Yuri stood up and cleared his throat, "Well, is there anything else, powers, sensitivity?"

Yuki raised her brow, _What does that have too do with helping me?_

"Sensitive nose, hearing, eye sight, she can run on all fours better than humans, can eat steaks very well." (Yuki found this halarious, as an inside joke. Akeela loved to eat steaks because her fangs helped rip it apart so much easier)

Yuri than muttered all of those slower and louder. Yuki was starting to find that annoying.

"All right, well..." The doctor hesitated, almost not knowing how to start, "This doesn't have anything to do with your case, but, how did you get to our time so I could help you?" He asked, changing his voice to a very gentle, soft spoken sound.

Yuki didn't answer for a moment, _There must be more than one well in this strange village, so it will be okay. He will not be able to track it down._ "Going through a well, it was in a strange building. It had a nice courtyard out of it, there was a big tree close to it. It was very pretty." Yuki started saying, then regretted it. _Oops... too much information..._

"Oh I see, that's very interesting." Said Yuri, basically brushing off her anser, "Well, Yuki, I'll take you into the examination room. I can start treatment right away. But your daughter will have to stay out of the room."

The mother stood very straight, holding Akeela closely. "Why?" She asked in a very don't-mess-with-me voice.

The doctor took a small step back, "She may be affecting(infecting) you, so when we start treatment she shouldn't be around you. Otherwise the treatment won't work. She'll only be a few rooms down."

Akeela, fully grasping the conversation looked up at her mother, "It'll be okay mama. You get better."

After a little prodding, a hug and cooes to each other, a nurse finally led Yuki into an examination room a few doors down. Akeela stood in the middle of the room, wondering what to do. A few seconds passed, and the closet door swung open. A young boy stepped out, around thirteen years of age, holding a clipboard.

The doctor than walked into the room, "You jot everything thing down, boy?" He asked rudely, snatching the clipboard out of his hands.

The boy bowed a little bit, "Y-yes sir, everything."

"Good, good..." He muttered, flipping through the boys notes, "Go grab another nurse, we'll need to deal with this monster. As for the mother, the treatments that we are using on her are experimental. Her case, tublercocis, still han't been solved completely. These drugs will either cure her, or kill her. Doesn't matter either way, she'll more'n likely die, but we can see what the drugs did to her afterwards. And besides, we know how she got into this modern time, we can investigate it. We don't need her anymore."

Akeela did not show her emotions, pretending she had no idea what was going on.

_Mama... going to die..?_

Right from the beggining, she hadn't liked this man. And she had thought that she had smelt a human in the closet. Even though she was only five, she was rather smart.

"Come on, little girl." Said a nurse who had entered the room.

"Akeela."

The nurse looked down, "Right... Akeela." She was led down hallways, down elevators and through a dark passage that then led into a brightly lit corridior. It didn't seem like it was connected to the actual hospital at all.

Rapid beeping sounds were heard, along with rapid gasps, nurses shouting at each other.

The nurse hurried Akeela along, almost jogging to the scary sounds.

Opening a door, the nurse hurried in. "Whats going on?!" She demanded.

"Experiment 287 is going insane! Everything, _everything_ is starting to not work, she's seizing, coughing up blood..............."

The voices started to fade into the background, all Akeela saw was the patient lying on the bed, struggling for her breath and making weird movements with her body.

It was her mother.

Yuki saw a blurred figure standing in the doorway, immediately knowing it as Akeela.

_Not.....much......time......lef...t..._

"Run...Akeela.......away...trust...no...human......." Yuki stuttered, struggling to pull out the jewel shard out of her pocket, and with the last ounce of her strength, threw it at Akeela who caught it with ease.

"Remember... .what daddy...said..."

Tears were starting to pool down Akeela's face, "But..mama...you.."

"Run....Akeela....I...love...you...." Yuki gasped out as she coughed and started seizing again.

Akeela's face puckered up, and she let the tears stream down her face freely. Mouthing 'I love you" back, she fell onto her front and back paws, turned and ran down the hallway back out of the white corridior.

As she ran, her sensitive hearing picked out the sound of a sustained beep.

_**~Authors Note~**_

_**I hope I didn't make you guys cry.... :( Poor Yuki...**_

_**(**)-Okay, so the big smelly noisy things with people inside them are vehicles, if you didn't figure it out lol.**_

_** (**)-As for the jewel shard, it actually hasn't been "destroyed" yet. So I decided that the Jewel Shard had one extra piece on it, it had the ball (the full shikon jewel), and a base. Which was another piece of the Shikon Jewel. And... for some reason or another, when Kikyo destroyed herself and the jewel, there was still that one piece. which Gin somehow got. ehheh... anyway, I had to do that because the only way to get through the well into the modern age (vice versa) you needed the jewel (i think, we'll just say that lol). so yeah...**_

_**Anyway, i hope you enjoyed the chapter!! please review and tell me your thoughts and I'll update faster!!**_

_**~Angel~  
**_


	3. The Chase Begins

_**~Authors Note~**_

_**Hey guys, sorry for the late update! I'll try too give you another chapter today or tomorrow ish since this one is so short. Enjoy!**_

_**____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
**_

You can imagine the angery Dr. Yuri, so I won't go into the details. It would take too long. All I'll say is that after Akeela escaped from the hospital, Dr. Yuri immediately called the police saying there was a stray, dangerous, wild animal running around the city.

As for Akeela...

It was damp, and cold. The wind had started to pick up, threatening to bring in the rain. It was the perfect setting for the little girl. Akeela had ran, ran and ran through all of the streets, dodged cars, pass gaping people, and other stray animals. Finally she had made it too the quite part of town. The streets weren't as clean, buildings weren't as well kept and older looking. There were alleyways with garbage strewn about them.

Whimpering, Akeela skittered into an alleway, and seeing an old cardboard box on it's side, she climbed in, crawling into the very back.

"Mama.... mama.... what'm I spose' to do?"

From leaving in such a rush, she hadn't been able to grab her coat, hat or anything. Leaving her very vulnerable since her tail and ears stood out like a sore thumb. She was confused as well, she had heard people gasp and jump back in terror. Did they think she was scary?

Akeela curled into a ball, her ears drooping. "Mama... why did they.... do that.... how am I spose' to get back to daddy... mama..." She whispered, a few tears trickling down her cheeks. She did not understand why they were hurting her. Was she okay? What was that annoying, sustained beep when she was running away? What was going to happen to her? Akeela rubbed her hands together, chilled from the now rainy day. _I gotta get back to mama.... I gotta get back to that white place...._ She shivered at the thought, that man had been scary looking. His kind gestures looking all fake, and that white corridior.... it had an evil aura about it.

"She's gotta be around here somewhere! Find her! Now!" Shouted a voice, pounding footsteps started to come closer.

Akeela's head whipped up, startled. What was that? Were they after her? Curious, Akeela slowly crawled out to the front of the box, cautiousy poking her head out.

_::Flashback::_

_Gin and Yuki slowly woke Akeela up. It was early in the morning, the sun had just risen._

_"Akeela... wake up. We need too talk to you." Gin said softly, picking up the still half-asleep child and standing her in front of himself and Yuki. "You listenin?" Akeela nodded her head, rubbing her eyes, "Yea, wha' is it?" She mumbled, not impressed with having to get up. She usually got an extra hour in._

_"Akeela, we're going to a very different land. We thought you should learn a few things before we go." Yuki said seriously, looking her in the eye. This caught Akeela's attention, "Different land? We're going somewhere?" Gin nodded, "We need to tell you a few things first....."_

_A few minutes later..._

_"Can you tell us what we just told you, Akeela?" Asked Yuki, wanting to be absolutely sure that she knew the 'protocols'._

_Akeela sighed but complied, "Listen to mama, no mater what." She recited, emphasizing the last part, "Don't trust anybody. Be wary of danger, if you get into danger, always be very very cautious." She said, and quickly rambled off a few other things._

_"An' don't eat yellow snow!" She giggled, smiling up at her parents. Gin and Yuki grinned and grabbed her into a bear hug. "We'll leave soon."_

_::End of Flashback::_

Akeela remembered all of these things, thankfully. So she was being extra careful.

As she watched the men run up and down the streets, she noticed the weird clothing they were wearing. They wore black jackets and jeans, and had 'Police' written on the back. They were holding big, long stick things. They were starting to shout at each other.

"Witnesses said the monster ran down this way, check all of the alleways!" A voice rang out. Immediately men spread out to search the small spaces between the old, beaten up buildings.

Suddenly, loud footsteps were heard at the opening of the alleway she was in. It startled her from her focus on the other men, and she quickly dashed semi-carefully to the back of the box, frightened.

Woops, she moved too much.

Cautious steps were heard, and two men knelt in front of the box. The men pointed their big sticks at her and were about to start yelling.

"W...wait!" Akeela whimpered in her scared, childish voice.

The dark haired man choked off his air supply, "D...did that thing just _talk_?" He asked his blond companion. The man just nodded mutely, still a little shocked. He wasn't frightened, he had a soft spot for animals and children.

"Please..." Akeela said softly, scared out of her wits, "Don't... huwrt me... mama was murdered.... now you... please... don't ...." Akeela hid her head in her knees, covering herself with her tail and pushed herself more into the corner of the box.

The two policemen gaped at her, they could see very visibly her tail, ears and paws. Indeed, she looked like a demon straight out of the legends.

"She's... a monster..." The one man stuttered, raising his gun.

"No, wait!" The blond haired policeman shouted, shoving the gun to the side just as he pulled the trigger.

Akeela screamed as the gun went off, the bullet richochetted off of the worn-out alley walls. But that didn't stop Akeela. She dived out of the box, knocking over both men, and ran as fast as her legs could carry her into the other street, luckily the police hadn't started searching there yet.

Shouts were heard as the men heard the gun go off. But she had already left them behind in her dust. When she was scared, and on all fours, she was _fast_.

The blond haired man ran out of the alleway, and took a quick note of where the girl was running too.

"Karu! Do you see her? Which way did she go?" Asked the policeman in charge of the search, running up to the blond man.

Karu stared past the man for a few seconds, the other guy he had been with was being restrained by other men, he must've been some kind of nut job or something, acting so impulsively like that. Idiot.

He brought his attention back to the policeman, "That way." He said, pointing down the street.

"This way men! Follow me!" The policeman shouted, starting to jog down the street. Others soon followed, guns at the ready.

Karu stood there for a few seconds, then turned around, looking down the opposite side of the street. He could still see the girl running, the opposite way of which the policemen were going.

_Run, little girl. I'll come find you soon. Just wait for me._

Karu spun on his heel and started jogging obediantly after his leader, leading them _away_ from the strange, scared little girl.

**_~Authors Note~_**

**_hehe, hope you enjoyed that.... I'll see if i can get another chapter up soon. PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! like... how the plot is going or if your confused... whatever ^_^ anyway yea.... oh and I would take Akeela's advice. "Don't eat yellow snow!" hehehehe :P byez_**

**_Angel  
_**


	4. Mmm, hotdogs

The rain had started to let up, letting the sun peek out behind the dark rain clouds. The wind had started to blow gently, waving Akeela's damp hair.

Akeela leaned her back against the side of an old warehouse. Her breathing was ragged from running so much, and her lungs hurt a bit from all of the cold air. She let herself slide down so she was sitting on her bottom, letting her head rest on her knees. Her tail was wet, but it did good to warm up her legs when she wrapped it around her ankles, she was starting to go numb.

_Graoowwlllll......_

She whimpered, it was even worse when your cold, wet, _and_ hungry. What were you too do to find some food in this place? Mama never told her that.

Akeela immediately regretted thinking that. She hugged her knee's even harder and hid her face in her arms. _I miss... mama.... and daddy...._ She felt into her jean pocket, feeling for the shard. Pulling it out, she stared at it. As they had told her, this was the only way to get home. But where was she supposed to go to get back? Was she going to be stuck here, never to see her family again? Akeela felt a few tears trickle down her cheeks, and she quickly wiped them away.

Her stomach growled again, more intense. Relieved that she could be distracted, she slowly got up. _I'm...hungry...maybe there's food...somewhere..._

Her ears drooped and her tail wrapped around her, she started walking towards all the noises of the city. A regular person wouldn't be able to hear the sizzling of hotdogs on a hotdog stand... but she was.

After walking for a few minutes, Akeela had started to wander into the more busy part of the city. Thankfully, it wasn't the main part of the city. Still not that nice of buildings, but it still had traffic. Of course, she was still oblivious that people did not know she was different. In her own time, half-demons were part of life.

Coming up to a corner, she could hear the pleasant sizzling of something cooking.

"Hotdogs! Hotdogs here! Only two dollars!" Came out a cheery call. Akeela came up to the corner and saw a rather bigger man standing beside a stand. There was strange food on the stand, but it was still food.

Not thinking anything of it, she walked up from behind him and grabbed a handfull of the 'hotdogs'.

Of course, the man then turned around, spotting the little wolf-girl.

He shrieked (yes, like a little girl) and jumped at least three feet backwards.

"Wha---what _are_ you?! And... my hotdogs! Thief!!" He screamed at her, pointing wildly. His screeches brought attention to the usually avoided corner. Basically, if you passed beside the stall you _had _to buy a hotdog. Notice the -HAD TO-.

People started staring, a few people brought out cell phones. The fat guy had already brought out his cell and was talking to a man at the police station.

"It's... a monster!!" Shrieked a lady from across the street, "Look, she has... ears! and a tail!!" She screamed.

This caught Akeela's attention, she had started backing away from the fat man.

_Wh...what did I do? I'm just hungry... and... a... monster?? I'm not a... monster..._

Of course, the first thing that went through Akeela's mind were those demons in her world. Compared to herself, those things_ were_ monsters. Back home, demons would attack and destroy villages, killing many. The lusted human flesh and blood. Her? Deffinitely not. She didn't go around terrorizing people. Akeela was still hurt and confused, _They... don't know me. Why are they judging me....? I'm... not a monster...._ She thought, almost wanting to yell back at them, defending herself that she was not a monster.

Her thoughts were inturrputed as police sirens were heard coming down the street, people started pointing in the direction where Akeela was.

Akeela was still standing stock still beside the hot dog stand, holding five wrapped hotdogs. The fat guy had moved to the other corner street, still shrieking. Akeela just looked on, not sure what too do. Should she talk to them? Mama had told her that when she got near a wild animal, talking to it would soothe it. And well, this guy seemed pretty wild. Maybe talking to him would help?

"Over here! Over here! The monster is over here! She's taken some of my hotdogs!" He screeched, pointing towards Akeela. She immeditely shut her mouth, _He called me a monster.... he can go ahead and screech._ She thought cruely, glaring at him. Little did she know that even now, she was starting to hate.

Akeela had now started to cower a little, her previous anger forgotten as the people around her screamed and glared at her or stared at her in terror. She really did look like a lost puppy, having her tail tucked around her legs and her ears laying down, her paws were held protectively in front of her, her feet already in position to start running away if need be. All instinct.

The vehicled finally arrived, and Karu was one of the first men to hop out , _I can't let them catch her. She'll be put into a lab and experimented on; if they don't kill her first._

Other officers had already started to surround her, shouting loudly and keeping their guns pointed at her. They all thought she was a monster too, and they would have glady... disposed of her already. But if they did that, there went their job.

Karu stood a bit behind the men, thinking quickly he gritted his teeth and pulled out his pistol. He found Akeela in his sights and aimed very carefully.... he could feel his heart beating hard inside his chest, he could hear it loudly in his ears. He panted, wavering slightly as he aimed. Holding his breath, he squeezed the trigger.

**_~Authors Note~_**

**_bwhahaha! cliff hanger ^_^ I'm so cruel i know. Sorry!_**

**_PLEASE REVIEW as always and PLEASE let me know what YOU THINK!! It's so encouraging to receive them, as you well know I'm sure. It'll only take two seconds.._**

**_anyway! there's your chapter. be happy and i'll try to update soon!!_**

**_~Angel~  
_**


	5. Closing in

_**~Authors Note~**_

_**Hello! I apologize once again for the late chapter, it's been very busy! **_

_**Meh... this was kind of depressing to write, actually... might just be me though. hope you enjoy nevertheless!  
**_

_**_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
**_

Akeela screamed as the bullet hit right beside her foot, and dropping all of the hotdogs, ran the way she had come, back to the docks and warehouses. The police around Akeela had ducked automatically, and jumping back up they glared at Karu.

The man in charge walked up to Karu, who was trembling a little bit. He was confident of his marksmanship, except, of course, there is always that little voice in the back of your mind saying "your gonna miss... your gonna hurt her". Karu straightened a little bit as the officer walked up too him, "What do you think your doing?! You scared her away!" He said angrily, and not giving Karu the chance to reply he jumped into the police car.

"We're giving chase!" He shouted, and the other officers ran to their vehicles, he started to close the door, giving Karu a 'we'll-talk-later' look.

Karu bowed a bit, "I will chase on foot, perhaps I can corner her easier." He told the angry officer. The man just grunted and slammed the door, bringing the engine too life.

As soon as the police cars were out of sight, he took off running full speed down an alleway. Years ago, when he was just a lad, he had been homeless. Living in alleways, stealing hotdogs, that was how he had lived. It was in this area that he and other boys would play, so he still remembered shortcuts to the warehouses.

He pushed on, cutting through different streets and alleways. After running for a couple minutes, he caught sight of a small figure run across the street; police cars in hot pursuit. Karu frowned, _being chased like this... I wonder what is going through her mind right now?_

___________________________________________________________________________

Akeela ran as hard as she could, her eyes wide in fear as she turned random corners. She could hear those strange objects chasing her from the street, hoping too corner her from entering certain alleways. What did they want her for?? What did she ever do wrong?

She closed her eyes for a moment as she pushed herself even harder, _I'm not the bad guy... you are. You did something too mama.... I may never get too see her again. It's all your fault!_ She screamed at them inside her head, tears starting too pool down her cheeks. _Why don't they listen too me? Why?_

Akeela saw the policecar block her route in front of her, and she quickly darted into the alleway on the right. _I just wanna go home... I wanna see mama and daddy... why won't you let me? _She turned more corners, she hated this. The walls... it seemed like they were closing in on her, blocking her escape. Trapping her, forever. They were getting smaller and smaller... making it harder for her too run. They were sucking the energy out of her**.

More tears trickled down her nose, falling ever so slowly too the ground. Lifting up her head, she took a deep breath, "Just leave me aloonneee!!" She wailed, ducking her head and running even faster on all fours.

__________________________________________________________________________

Karu almost stopped when he heard the anguished cry, _Was that the girl?_ It sounded like she had said,'Just leave me alone!' _Getting chased continuously must be taking it's toll_, he thought. Setting his face in a grim line, he pushed himself further, willing himself to catch up too her. She was fast, very fast. Even faster then him. But with his willpower... he might be able to catch up too her.

Miraculously, in half a minute, he caught sight of her darting into a familiar alleway.

Quickly scanning his memory, he knew she was headed into a "one-way out" alleway, no forks or anything. If he could just get there in time...

He started running again, the girl and cars had already disappeared. Men were jumping out of their vehicles to continue the pursuit on foot.

Luckily, he was the fastest officer in their unit. Even if the girl was faster then him, he was faster then _them_.

Taking a deep breath, he ran even faster, going through another few alleways, he came out beside the entry where the girl would come out.

In just a few seconds, Akeela bolted out of the alleway onto the small street. Seeing the police man, she stopped for a split second, her already broken expression crumpled up even more in defeat and terror, and changing direction she was about ready to run away again.

Karu's hope dropped,_ No....! That's the direction where they are planning to cut her off... Little one... I'm the good guy!!  
_

Reaching out his hand, he quickly grabbed her tail, the only thing within his reach. Thankfully, she stopped moving as to not yank her tail, giving him the moment he needed. He leapt forward, grabbed the girl and put her under his arm, thankful she had not ran into their trap.

"Wa...wait... what are..." She whimpered, struggling against his hold. She knew he had shot at her. She didn't know what it was exactly, but after examining where the bullet had hit and destroyed a bit of the pavement, she knew it was ment to hurt people.

Karu put his hand on her mouth and stopped, listening. The men were very close, about to come out any second. Turning, he ran down a separate alleway. Which was lucky for him, the men had come out of where Akeela was a split-second after. Hearing pounding footsteps, the police were in hot pursuit of Karu (although they didn't know it was actually him they were now pursuing).

Karu kept running, he was tired and the little girl didn't help. But he kept running anyway. He had to save her, he could only imagine what they would do too her. One thing nagged at him though, this girl... she had a strange presence about her. He couldn't explain it. He stored that though in the back of his mind, deciding to voice it aloud later if he got the chance. Right now he had to focus on running. With himself being so tired, the other policemen were starting to catch up due to his fatigue.

They had arrived at the warehouses, there was a lot of open space. The streets were wide, littered with garbage. Crates, garbage cans and the like were scattered everywhere, lining the old, eerie looking buildings.

Thinking quickly, Karu ran too the side of the closest warehouse. Spotting a biggerish, empty garbage can, he opened the lid, and as gently as he could, settled the little girl in there.

"Don't... move... or make a sound..." He said breathlessley, putting the lid back on the can.

Akeela obeyed, scared of what might happen if she didn't. She couldn't tell if he was helping her, or going to hurt her without the other policemens help.

Karu walked a few steps away from the garbage can, but still close enough to grab her if need be. The officers, cars and the lot had all caught up, they spotted Karu. If he had hesitated even just a few seconds... they would have gotten caught.

One of the officers hopped out, "Karu! What are you doing? Did you see the girl?!" He shouted.

Karu took a deep breath, looking disappointed. "She slipped out of my sight. She's too fast. She kept dodging through the warehouses. She's too far now."

The officer nodded his head slowly, "We're done, then." They all knew Karu was very fast, and if someone was faster than he... there was no point in giving chase.

Karu nodded, "I'm going home." He said with a soft sigh, letting the fatigue overcome his movemnts and facial expressions. If he looked like he was about to faint, they would let him go with no problem.

The young man nodded, noting his condition, "Want a ride?"

"I'm gonna walk, cool off. I'll feel better." Karu said, turning on his heel, "Tell the chief I'll apologize tomorrow for todays incident."

The police cars started to turn around, heading back to the station. Soon he was left alone. He sighed and leaned against the warehouse, _We're safe... for now._ Turning, he walked the few paces to the little girl and lifted up the lid.

_**~Authors Note~**_

_**The usual... please review!!!**_

_**and I do have a question for you, Akeela is 5, right? Well... with how she thinks and acts... does she **_**seem_ to be older than 5? I don't know if she's acting too mature or not... I haven't ever really hanged around 5 year olds before... especially half-demon's that are 5 :P maybe since they are half-demons and have that ... pere pressure, they are more mature? noc clue, anyway please review and help me out, maybe I can make some adjustments if need be. hope you enjoyed the chapter!!_**

_**For the **... the whole "Walls closing in" thing was not really physically... it was more emotionally. After going through all of this turmoil, it was taking it's toll on her physically as well as emotionally. hence the whole "sucking the energy out of her". anyway... just wanted to clear that up in case you were confused :)**_

_**Angel  
**_


	6. Little Wolf

_**~Authors Note~**_

_**Here is your other chapter... thanks for all of your continued reviews!! It is very encouraging for me too receive them. You guys are the best!!! *hugs***_

_**______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
**_

Carefully lifting up the lid, huge, brown, frightened eyes greeted him.

Karu sighed a little, _Okay... now what, Karu?  
_

He reached inside, noticing that she cowered away from his reach, and lifted the little girl out gently, he felt her tremble all the while. Setting her down, he made sure she was slightly cornered so she couldn't run away.

"Are you okay?" He asked gently, automatically looking for scratches.

"....Cold..." Akeela whispered, she was shivering. Who was this man? Why did he help her? She kept her tail wrapped around her legs and paws wrapped around her torso. Her throat hurt from breathing in so much cold air while running.

Karu now noticed what Akeela was wearing. Jeans and a t-shirt, which her hair, shirt, and the bottom of her pants were soaked. Apparently he wasn't the most observant guy in the world. She would catch a cold if he didn't get her warmed up pretty soon.

He immediately shrugged out of his police coat, "This is pretty heavy. Put it on." Karu said, putting it around her shoulders. She flinched, shifting her weight so she was leaned away from him. Obviously she still didn't trust him, but who would after going through all of this?

"My name is Karu, what is yours?" He asked, slowly moving is arms down onto his bent knees. He didn't want too scare her, was almost afraid too move or speak. But he did need a little bit of information before they continued their treck.

The little girl stared at him for a few seconds, not answering. She almost looked awed, but her face was still gaurded.

"You... haven't called me a monster... are you gonna hurt me..?" She asked slowly, almost whispering. She was thinking of what her parents had told her a long time ago. Too not give important information too strangers.

_Monster...?_ Karu wondered too himself, than he rememberd. While at the hotdog corner, people all around were terrified and yelling monster and rude names too her. He had to think a moment.

"Of course not." Karu said slowly, "Just cuse your... different don't mean your a monster, which means there is no need to hurt you." He explained, not sure if he was saying the right thing, "Those people don't understand you. They were scared just because you _are_ different. They aren't used to change, or differences, that's why they hurt you. You just need to ignore them, for now. Just remember, your not a monster." He finished his ramble, hoping he hadn't confused her or hurt her even further. If people are called 'monsters' enough.... they might start believing it.

Akeela nodded her head slowly, taking it all in. A little bit of relief lit her features._ He knows I'm not a monster.... _

The wind whistled eerily through the warehouses, scattering around loose debris. It has started to pick up again. The once-retreated rain clouds were making a comback, with reinforcments. The sun had disappeared, taking it's warmth with it.

Karu looked up, noticing the weather changes, "Your going to come home with me, little wolf, I am going to be the only one able to protect you. Besides that, your going to freeze with you being damp like that."

Akeela stared up at him, _protect me? little...wolf..?_

Karu immediately realized what he had called her, "I'm... sorry, that came out automatically. I still don't know your name." He apologized, slowly starting too stand up.

Akeela hid her face and shook her head slowly, drops of water flying out of her hair, "It's okay.... little wolf is... fine..."

Karu nodded, and reaching forward, put the girl into his arms, holding her like a baby. Standing his full height, he once again noticed the strange presence about the girl. It was the same as in the alleway. It was so very strange. Not like it was calling out too you, or that kind of thing. It was just the atmosphere, it was almost... powerful. It's hard to explain. Karu just shook his head again, _First things first, get her warm._

"I'll carry you, it will be faster. You'll warm up. I'll take you to my house and get you some warm clothes. We can talk then."

Akeela's eyes started to close, she was too tired to argue. He felt safe. Well, now anyway. Also, he was warm. Drowsiness overtook the tired half-demon, and she soon nodded off too sleep in his arms. Her last thoughts lazily drifted through her mind, _Maybe we _can _be friends......_

Karu looked down on the girls sleeping face. Thankfully, he only lived fifteen minutes away from the warehouses. Lucky.

Spotting his street and house, he made sure the streets were empty. Breaking into a slow run, he jogged up too his house, unlocked the door and quicky let himeself in, careful not too hit the girls head.

He was a bachelor, never saw the need to get married. Even so, he still kept his house slightly clean, cooked his own meals, paid his own rent... all that good stuff. So when he walked inside his house, he was really glad it was cleanish, for the girls sake (even though it did not matter because she was sleeping... but it's the thought that counts... right?!?!?).

He put the sleeping child onto the couch, _I just got to get out of these clothes quick, and find something for her..._

Running upstairs, he quickly changed into sweatpants and a sweater. After rummaging through his closet he found an old pair of sweatpants and another sweater. He quickly put all of his officer stuff onto his bed, and ran back downstairs. Lifting his eyes from the floor, he startled himself. The girl was sitting upright on the couch, staring fearfully about her.

"Little wolf... I have some clothes for you." Karu said, noting to himself again that she needs too get out of her wet clothing.

Akeela sat rigid straight on the cough, _Strange... house.... so many objects...._ It was very unlike her own house. Very different indeed. And so big! She knew mama would like it, she liked big spaces.

Karu quickly grabbed a few towels out of the bathroom and went to kneel in front of Little Wolf.

"It's okay Little wolf, I just need to dry you off and put you in some warm clothes. Kay?"

Karu slowly took off his police jacket that was around her shoulders, and set it on the floor. Grabbing the towel, he put it on her head and slowly started to rub her hair to get all of the moisture out.

"Is it hurting your... ears?" He asked, still wondering about her strange wolf parts. He was almost embaressed to ask.

Akeela shook her head. She was enjoying her head massage.

Karu dried her off as best as he could with her clothes on. He handed her the sweatpants and sweater, "If you go into that little room there," He pointed to the bathroom, "You can change into these warm clothes, I'll wait for you here."

Akeela walked into the room he had motioned her too and closed the door. It had weird objects in here too.

It was difficult to take her shirt and pants off, but she managed. The other clothes Karu had given her were extremely too big. The pants... were very long. The sweater almost went down too her knees. _I miss my old clothes..._

Stepping out of the bathroom, she almost tripped as she walked back to Karu.

"Ahh, the pants..." He muttered, and quickly dashed off to the kitchen. In a few seconds he returned with scissors. "I'm going to make them shorter so you don't kill yourself tripping, don't move." He ordered quitely, showing her the scissors clearly so she wouldn't be afraid. She didn't look like she was afraid, so he continued. Kneeling on his knee's, he started the process.

In a few quick snips he had trimmed off the bottom of the pantlegs. Putting the scissors away he then rolled up the sleeves of the sweater she was wearing.

"There. Perfect." He said, standing up and sitting on the stool beside him.

Akeela admired herself, "It's funny looking."

Karu laughed and scratched the back of his head, "Yeah... sorry, it's a little big."

"No," Akeela stated, "I wear different clothes. Kimono's." She said, pulling at the shirt a bit.

Karu abruptly stopped laughing, and he lowered his hand.

"That... kind of clothing? Isn't that rather old fashioned?" He asked, thinking he might be able to start getting information now.

Akeela shook her head back and forth, "Everybody wears them. This place is totally different than where I live. We got here through jumping through a well, then there were lots of different colors and..." She slowed her speech, than gasped. Jumping up off the couch she ran back to the bathroom, and digging through her jeans pocket, grabbed the shard.

_"Remember.....what....daddy.....said..."_ Was what her mother had told her, and daddy had said that this shard thing was the only way to get back home.

Returning to the couch, she sat down, clenching her hand.

"What's that, little wolf?" Karu asked, his voice full of wonder. That presence.... it was stronger now._ Could this object be the source of this strange feeling?_

The wolf-girl looked at him for a moment, "Akeela."

Karu blinked, his mind blank for a moment, "Akeela? Is that your name?"

Akeela nodded, "Uh-huh. And this thing is the only way to get me back home." Changing the subject abruptly.

Karu stood up again and sat beside Akeela, his eyes searching her face.

_Back home.... kimono.... going through a well to get here, a jewel looking thing is the only way to get back home... she's a wolf-girl... is she from the ancient legend's of the past? and she somehow came to the future? What on earth is going on??_ He was so confused, but he tried not too show it.

Karu leaned forward in his seat, "Akeela, how did you become a wolf-girl? I don't understand. None of that kind of stuff happens here."

Akeela shrugged, "Daddy was a wolf-demon, mama was a human. I am a half-demon, a wolf demon."

Karu shrank back in his seat, "Demon?"

Akeela nodded, admiring her strange clothing again, "Yup. There are full demons and half-demons, like me. All the full demons are bad, they kill villagers and terrorize people. But half-demons like me still have a human heart, so I don't do that."

The little girl looked up and smiled, "I'm a good girl!" She exclaimed with a happy smile, "That's what mama says, anyway." She stated, and then her eyes clouded over and she curled up on the couch.

Karu looked up, _That's right... in the alleway she said her mother was murdered. And I'm still confused about everything else... none of this can be true... can it?_ Karu continued to argue with himself, how could somebody from the past, come too the future? It was impossible! _but... that tail, her ears and paws... those are real. So... it must be true... _Looking back to Akeela, he smiled. "I am a little confused, I must admit. But I agree with your mother, you are a good girl." He said, rubbing the top of her head. "Could you tell me what happened when you got here, and about your mother?" He asked, looking her in the eye. She nodded, "Um--..."

There was loud knocking on the door, inturrupting Akeela. The doorbell then rang a few times. A loud voice came through the door, startling the two figures further.

"Karu, open up! One of your neighbors called saying you were carrying a small child, with a tail!" He exclaimed through the door, pounding a few more times. "We need too talk."

A wide-eyed Akeela shot her gaze over to Karu, her eyes full of questions. Karu paled as he looked over to the girl,_ It's the chief...._

_**~Authors Note~**_

_**hheehehehe!!! I love leaving you guys with cliff-hangers ^_^ It's so cruel tee hee!!! Well, this chapter was a little more boring, winded you down a little bit. But don't worry! We'll get roared up again, soon! **_

_**as usual.... REVIEWW!!! :) I loves it when I get your guys's feed back!!**_

_**Anyway, i will be gone for the weekend.... so I probably wont' get another chapter up until Tuesdayish? Something like that, hopefully I wont' forget about this story like last time . ehheh. anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
**_


	7. The Mystifying Man

_**~Authors Note~**_

_**Kay, I swear I didn't forget bout the story!! Really! Just been really busy, and too tired at night to write. Anyway... here's your chapter!! Enjoy ^_^**_

_**_______________________________________________________________________________________  
**_

Thinking as he moved, Karu quickly went to kneel in front of Akeela, "Look, the man here will take you away from here. You'll never be able to get back home. You need to go out the back door, run as far away from this place as you can, and take this," He softly said the instructions as he rustled through his police jackets pocket, and retrieving the object, thrusted a square, black object in her hands, "This is a GPS, it is a specialezed police item. Be sure not too drop it, it will be the only way I can find you." Karu stood up and quickly went to the closet beside the door, he grabbed one of his bigger hoodies and went back and put it on Akeela. "Wear this, it will hide your ears and tail. Just remember not to show your tail." He whispered again, looking nervously at the door.

"Karu! I know your in there! Open up!" The chief yelled, banging on the door some more, he tried to open the door, but thankfully Karu had been smart enough to lock it.

Akeela put on the hoody , "Now go Akeela, out the back door. Be quick!" Karu urged, practically throwing her out the back door. Akeela looked frantically behind her before she took off running, which direction she was 'supposed' too go she had no idea. She just ran away from all the scariness.

Taking a few seconds too make sure she was clear, he silently went up the stairs, than made a huge commotion as he came back down, mussing up his hair as he ran. Walking to the door, he unlocked it and opened it up to see a very angry police officer. "Hey Karu! What's the hold up?! I've been yelling at your door for five minutes!!" He roared, only a few inches away from Karu's face.

Karu yawned, unphased as he rubbed his 'bed-hair', he took a step back so he could get away from that donuty breath, "I was catching up on some Z's... you know I'm a deep sleeper." He tried to make himself look as exhausted as possible, which wasn't too difficult.

The chief raised his brow, "Alright... do you mind if I come in for a minute?" He asked, peeking around Karu's shoulder, "Your neighbour called claiming that you were carrying a child who had a tail. Which of course, fits our description of the monster running around here." He quitely observed Karu, _He looks like he's been sleeping anyway..._

Karu yawned again and stepped aside, totally relaxed and casual, "Sure, but don't stay too long okay? I'm tired."

The chief let himself in, and taking off his boots slowly walked into the living room.

Karu stood behind him as the chief observed the room. _Oh crap..._ He tensed up, he had forgotten about his wet jacket, towels, and pajama pant scraps. Not too mention his police jacket thrown to the side.

Chief went over to the couch and observed the messy area, "You always this sloppy with your uniform?" He asked, picking up the police jacket, "It'll wrinkle up. And you don't got no woman to iron it for you."

Karu ran his hand through his hair, "Eheh, I usually put it all away neatly, but I was cold and tired so..."

The older man turned to look at Karu, "I see... well," The chief turned to observe the coat again, and he picked it up. Reaching down to the lower part of the coat, he picked off some blondish white hair off of the inside.

Karu froze,_ Her... fur..._

The chief admired the fur for a second, then let it fall from his hands. "Be sure to be more careful with your uniform, Karu. I'll see you later at work."

Karu's eyes turned confused,_ he didn't... figure it out? He's not that much of an idiot, is he...? _

As the chief passed by him he smiled a little bit and put a hand on his shoulder, "If you need any help my boy, let me know. _I'm always open._"

Karu looked the chief in the eye, and was relieved at what he saw. An amused, curious, open, and trusting look.

Karu chuckled nervously as he scractched the back of his head, "Well, now that you mention it...."

The cheif walked back too his patrol car, chuckling, "Oi, Karu, make sure you bring that back too work now! Those things are expensive." He shouted back, jumping into the drivers seat, "If you need any help, let me know. " And with that he drove off. Karu walked out of the house, shrugging into his jacket. Locking the door, he watched the retreating vehicle. _I don't think I'll ever be able to understand that man. Who in the world helps someone who is holding a fugitive, and a police officer at that?_ Karu just shook his head and jumped into his car, _No matter... I need to go after Akeela._ He looked at the 4 x 4 screen on the cheifs G.P.S, _She's already gotten pretty far. Great._ Starting the ignition, he pressed the accelerator and sped after her.

_Akeela... please be safe until I get there._

**_~Authors Note~_**

**_okay... brain isn't working. Is it 'chief', or 'cheif'? cuse neither of them are red, and isn't there a difference, or something? one is like the chief/cheif that goes "how" and the other that goes "shoot first ask questions later?" (lol) so since moi brain isn't willing to dechiper that word, YOU GET TOO!!!!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!! Lol... help... _**

**_ANYWAY! I am planning that this next chapter will have you pretty tensed up and excited, it's a little different than I planned so it may not be as good. but stil good, hopefully!! look forward too it!!_**

**_~Angel~_**


	8. Unexpected

_**~(lol I almost put "angels note") Authors Note~**_

_**gee you know it's late wheeeennnnn....... I'm surprised the chapter came out right... ANYWAY! this chapter is like, way off of what I had origionally planned, but that's okay!! it'll add more too it I think, make the story longer (which is good, riiiiight?) i just hope I don't mess up lol. whatever, enjoy THIS CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (....yeah, i'm gonna go sleep now)**_

_**PS. I just added a tweensy bit to the ending. Nothing drastic.  
**_

She didn't know how long she had been running, but she was getting tired. How much longer she could keep this up she had no idea. Clutching the G.P.S, she slowed to a walk. _I'm far away enough…. I think. He said run as far away as I can… he'll find me._

Akeela was along a none busy street, thankfully. It looked very familiar though, the more peaceful part of town.

She sighed and looked at the sky, it was almost evening now. The sky was clearer now, the setting sun shone through pink clouds, gently bouncing off of the tree's leaves. Akeela folded her hands behind her back, just this morning she had went to the doctors with her mom. Just this morning something had happened too her mom. Akeela shook her head, _I want too sleep… it's too much.  
_

Sighing, she walked for a few more minutes. _Maybe I can find a place to sleep, and eat._

Now realizing just how tired and hungry she was, Akeela immediately started looking for home residences. Twenty feet ahead of her, she saw stairs leading upwards. _Whats at the top? Food?_ Akeela wondered, starting up the steps. Arriving at the top, memories flooded back too her.

There was that huge tree that had caught her attention, and the weird building they had stepped out of. This was the place where they came out of the well!

Akeela smiled broadly, _I can go home now!_ She said too herself, starting too walk towards the well house, _But… what about Karu… he wouldn't know I would have left… he'd be worried. Just like mama would be._ Akeela slowed her steps, now in the center of the courtyard.

A ways from her, one of the main buildings doors opened, she started and shot her look over to the voices.

"Ah, I see. Well no, we haven't seen anything unusual lately." Answered a womans voice, she sounded slightly confused.

"Oh! Well thank you very much, anyway. Do let us know if you ever see anything." Said a gruff voice, "I'm sorry for taking up your time."

The woman replied, but Akeela tuned her out, she was too intent on that voice. _That voice._ She would know it anywhere. It was the voice of that doctor! Doctor Yuri! Akeela shivered, _Why's…he…here…._ Not knowing what too do, she stood there awkwardly as Yuri turned around. He looked startled for a moment and took a double take, his eyes widened, "There she is!" He shouted, diving out of the house as four other men came barreling after him.

Akeela's eyes widened in fear, _They going to chase me…?_ She looked behind the advancing figures. Still standing in the doorway with a confused expression on her face stood the mom, with a small girl beside her. She had shoulder length black, raven hair and brown eyes, she looked to be about four years old.

All of a sudden, a huge gust of wind came out of nowhere, knocking off her hat. Akeela gasped and looked back towards the door. The mother and child were both startled, their eyes wide in fright. Akeela's wolfy ears were in plain sight.

Akeela frowned, _Their scared of me too…_ Turning, she ran towards the exit, and starting to run as fast as she could down the stairs. Little did she know, they had left two men behind waiting at the bottom of the stairs (who were not there when she went up, obviously), so when she turned the corner, she ran right into a big potato sack looking thing. Squealing, she squirmed with all of her might.

Now, as you may know, five year olds can be on the heavy side, and when they come barreling down the stairs incredibly fast… one man may have a little trouble holding it together.

One of the corners came down, which gave Akeela the chance she needed. Taking the opportunity, she dived out of the bag, now in the center of six burly men. Instead of being scared and whimpering, she was getting mad. _"Stop…chasing….me…."_ She growled, getting down on all fours, her body seemed to pulsate as her eyes flickered red. She bared her teeth and laid her ears down flat. Even as a five year old, she looked _mean._

The men gasped as her eyes flickered colors and backed off a little, Yuri stood behind one of the bigger men, "Well, w-what are you waiting for men?! Get her!" Akeela immediately shot her look to the despicable man and glowered, making Yuri trembled. Crouching, she lunged. Right past him. Taking the chance, she used all the power she had and ran as fast as her legs (and arms..?) could carry her. Outside, she did indeed look dangerous, but on the inside she was starting to tremble.

________________________________________________________________

Karu glanced down at the G.P.S, she had slowed down. Must be a little tired. The dot stopped entirely, and he was a little confused. _There are no roads there… she must be outside or inside a residence._

A few seconds went by and he checked again, this time she was moving oober** fast. It looked like she was detained for a moment, moved a little bit, and than shot off like a dart another twenty seconds later.

"Crap…" He muttered, something had happened. She only moved that fast _when someone was chasing her._

Pressing on the accelerator a little bit, he estimated he would possibly catch up to her in five minutes.

As he was so preoccupied with his thoughts, he didn't notice a very watchful vehicle trailing him ever so carefully.

_____________________________________________________________________

Akeela ran and ran, she had heard the men jump into their vehicles and start to speed after her, but she had moved away from the main road, hopefully slowing them down. It seemed like she was in a forest area, there was a gravel road nearby, but it seemed she was on the outskirts of the strange village.

Seeing the roof of an old building, she sped up her pace and eventually arrived at it. It was a tall, broken down barn. Obviously not used anymore. The vibrant red paint was now just a dim, rusty looking color. The door was slightly open, hanging on one hinge. The roof had a few holes in it from daily weather action.

Standing outside the door, she gulped, _Mom would say… "Which is more scarier?"_

Akeela thought a minute, it was either get caught by the scary guys, or go into a scary building to hide. Debating it for a minute, she walked slowly through the open door.

Inside it was dimly lit, the holes in the roof and broken windows supplying the light. Seeing an old ladder too the loft, she quickly climbed up it. There wasn't much different up there either, more musty hay, bird poo, all that good stuff. There were floor boards missing as well. _Gotta be extra careful…_ She thought, observing the ten foot drop. Of course, since she was half-demon, a fall like that wouldn't do too much damage, a sore tailbone of course. But she was more durable than a human.

Making her way over too a corner, she hunkered down, waiting for any sound. _Karu said he'd find me…. He said so…. So he has too… right?_ A few more minutes passed, and the past events came back too Akeela, _I… almost gave in._ She curled up into a ball, pressing herself into the corner. The other part of her… almost got out.

_::Flashback::_

_Yuki rocked the little girl back and forth in her arms, holding her close. The girl had scared herself so bad, anything like that happening and not knowing what __**had **__happened would be scary in itself. _

"_Akeela, Akeela," She cooed, "It's alright. It's gone now, your fine."_

_The girl turned red rimmed eyes too her mother, "But… I wasn't me, I was getting so mad, something wanted out…. Scary…!!" Akeela whimpered again, hiding her face in her mothers arms._

_Yuki continued rocking herself, stroking Akeela's hair, "My darling… nothing scary will happen. You just need to learn to control yourself better."_

_Akeela had gotten so angry, the other part of her, the demon part, had almost escaped. Well, technically it had escaped, but thankfully, she had been able to suppress it._

_Akeela turned in her moms arms again, looking intently at her face, "I can control it?"_

_Yuki nodded, still rocking, "You are not a demon, Akeela. You are not a murderer or anything like that. Your __**you.**__ Don't let that other side take over you, because it's not who you are. Just be yourself."_

_::End of Flashback::_

Akeela jolted out of her thoughts when she heard a car door slam, "She may be in here, hiding. Let's check."

"Fine, hurry it up." Yuri said, he was getting irritated, "She's causing too much trouble for a little monster."

Akeela gritted her teeth at that word, "I'm…not…a…monster…" She growled under her breath.

"Oi, what was that? I thought I heard some scuffling in the loft."

"It's probably her, let's go." Yuri ordered.

Walking inside, they peered upwards. Still not able too see her.

"Come out, come out." Taunted Yuri, "If you come without a fuss, we'll be nice too you."

There was no reply.

He huffed and turned to the leader of his men, "Scare her out."

He nodded and brought out his pistol, aiming by where he had heard the scuffling before, he pulled the trigger.

Akeela shrieked as the bullet went right through the wood, five feet from where she was sitting. Jumping up she darted across the loft, the boards groaned under her weight. And, as it would go, the next board she stepped on, cracked. With a scream, Akeela plunged downwards, doing a frontwards roll as she landed.

Shaking her head, she slowly sat up, dazed, and stared at the figures looming before her.

The closest man grabbed the color of her shirt and jerked her onto her feet, "Time to spill all that you know, little one." He growled.

"Let her go." Rumbled a voice from behind.

Spinning around, Yuri faced a very mad looking man.

Akeela started too cry, from relief and terror, "Karu!" She sobbed, reaching out her hand too him.

Yuri immediately pulled out his gun as Karu started too move forward, "Don't even think about it." He growled, "Who are you?"

"Police."

Yuri laughed, "The police is now siding with this little monster? Hah!" He laughed, "I bet you would just put her in a lab and experiment on her, making sure she's not some secret weapon or something." Akeela quickly shot her gaze over to Karu, confused, "At least I would do something more worthwhile," Yuri continued, "I would show her off, make her and myself rich and famous! We'd be making headlines _everywhere!"_

Karu narrowed his eyes and quickly reached for his gun, stuck in his back pocket. He had left his 'work gun' at home, but just in case, he always carried one in the glove box. One of the men beat him too it and grabbed his arm, "Not gonna happen, buddy." He whispered in his ear, taking the gun out of his pocket and tossing it to one of his mates.

Yuri scratched the back of his head, "I really didn't want to make my hands dirty, but I can tell you won't give up so easily." Karu tensed, hoping what he _thought_ was going to happen, _wouldn't_. "Blake, dispose of him."

Akeela's eyes went wide, the man who was holding her, Blake, started to reach for his gun. "Hold him." The man ordered, slipping a couple bullets into it. Karu immediately tried to wriggle out of the one mans grasp, but was soon caught by the other. Now caught in between, he had no way of escape.

"No! Don't hurt Karu!!" Akeela wailed, trying to get out of Blake's grasp. He only held on tighter. Moving his free arm, he raised his arm and took aim. Karu stared at the gun pointing at him, paralyzed. His heart was beating so rapidly, he felt a few drops of perspiration drip down his face. Barely able to move his gaze, he focused on Akeela. She looked so scared, so he tried to smile.

Blake pulled the trigger. The sound was deafening for Akeela, it seemed too echo in the empty forest.

She stared in horror, tears pouring down her face as Karu stood stock still, his eyes wide in shock, his small smile totally dissipated. The men on either side of him let go of his arms, and he slowly sank down to his knees, falling forward.

Akeela stared in terror as he fell down, panicking at the blood starting to surround his body. "No….no…."

"Karu!!!!!!!!!!"

_**~Authors Note~**_

_**Wow, this was a total spur of the moment "Let's write a chapter even though it's won't get done until 1:15am!!!" **_

_**ahem... anyway... ANOTHER CLIFF HANGAR!! HAHAHAH!! oh and the "oober" is... probably not a word... but whatever, i wanna use it so hah ^_^**_

_**also, even though Karu is a police officer, I'm sure anybody would be slightly terrified if a gun was pointed at you. ESPECIALLY if you don't have your "armour" on. bullet proof vest etc...**_

_**anyway, cliffhangar :) gotta love it eh? oh yeah, half of tis... or.... all of this wasn't even planned out!! it just kinda... came as I went, so hopefully it won't get too confusing in later chapters _ I think we'll be okay. I just need to plan a little more... see what step will happen next kinda thing. **_

_**anyway, I LOVE YOU REVIEWERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you guys review like, ever chapter..... HAPPINESS!!! *gives ya'll a hug* keep em coming! I love them :) *buys you all icecream***_

_**anyway (whoa I say that a lot... *kay sorry, it's late, so.... guess i'm hyper... over tired... whatever... hahaha!*) I hope you enjoyed the chapter, even though Karu got shot.... .**_

_**I hope I am keeping you on the edge of our seat ^_^**_

_**~Angel~**_


	9. The Patched and the Broken

_**~Authors Note~**_

_**Yiyiyi... another late night chapter... oh well. Once you start...*notices that the chapter is only 1775 words long*.... AR EYOU SERIOUS?1?!?! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhh it was 4 pages long AND took me forever too write for some reason!!!!!1.............. sorry. aherm... anyway. I hopes you enjoy the chapter. And I'm not going to recheck it to make sure it's all a-okay cuse it's 2:15am and i' tired. so, I'm sure you'll enjoy it anyway, ^_^  
**_

Yuki's head snapped up at the sound of a car speeding towards the building, "We're out of here!" He shouted, "Take the girl, leave the boy!" He ordered, running outside into their parked vehicles.

Blake let go of Akeela, attempting to reload his gun. Akeela immediately bolted for Karu's side, falling to her knee's beside him. Tears dotted the back of Karu's unmoving back. "Karu….Karu! Wake up. Wake up!!" She sobbed, shaking his shoulder, "Get up, we hafta run, get up Karu get up!" Akeela wailed, shaking his shoulder vigorously. Blake ran behind her and hauled her over his shoulder. "Time to go, chicky." He muttered, running to the door. Akeela screamed and kicked and clawed, willing the man to let go of her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a black and white vehicle speeding towards them.

Yuki and his men jumped into their vehicles, throwing Akeela in the back. She instantly started banging on the windows, only to be tied up hastily. They sped off, seeing the vehicle slow down they floored it. Akeela got one good glance out the back window, she saw a word written on the side of the would-be pursuer.

_Police…._

________________________________________________________________________

Hiromasa scratched his chin as he carefully followed Karu, avoiding detection. He had obviously had the girl run out of the house before answering the door, and was going to go find her. But with those looks of hers, who knows what could happen?

He sighed, speeding up a pinch. He trusted Karu, of course. He had a good head on his shoulders. If he thought that the girl wasn't dangerous, then more than likely she wasn't. They had known each other for too long. Hiromasa smiled a little bit, _We've known each other for years and yet he still calls me chief… that was another reason why I figured he was lying about the girl. He was still in the 'professional', 'careful', mood._

He nodded too himself, noting that Karu had slowed up quite a bit. _I definitely trust him. He's saved my behind way too many times. In battle and in office._

Hiro noticed that Karu was all of a sudden a ways ahead of him, and even still his speed was climbing.

_Something's up…_

He let Karu get ahead a little bit, then sped after him. After a minute or two, he didn't see his vehicle ahead of him at all. Stopping at the top of the hill, he looked onwards to the horizon.

_Not a car in sight… where in the world did he disappear too?_

Starting forwards once again, he continued onward. After a passing it a few times, he finally noticed a small dirt road. It lead into the forest, almost looked like a driveway. Looking closely, he saw fresh tire tracks.

_Well at least I know what road he's on. I'm gonna be a ways behind him though, I just wasted five(ish) minutes there…_

Turning, he rolled down his window a tad, letting a nice breeze seep inside his patrol car. After a few seconds of driving in silence, Hiro was startled by the sound of a gunshot. It echoed once, then died out.

_Crap…_

Slamming his foot down on the accelerator, he reached over to the glove box, and took out his gun._ Better to be safer than sorry._

In a few moments, he came over a hill. He saw men running to their vehicles. One was carrying a small girl who looked like she was putting up quite a struggle.

He saw Karu's car, but no Karu.

_Crud!! He's still inside!_

Pressing on the accelerator even more, he climbed up to 110 (km). The other vehicles had already started zooming ahead. Hiro let off the gas a bit, _Give the chase, or…?_ Thinking quickly, he sped to the barn and slammed on the breaks. Grabbing his gun he cautiously made his way to the doorway. Not seeing or sensing anybody, he walked through.

"Oh man…" Hiro whispered under his breath, lowering his gun. He was froze to the spot for a moment. Karu still laid on the ground, blood soaked through his shirt and jacket onto the dirt floor. Blinking a few times, he ran to his side. Kneeling, he carefully turned Karu so he was on his back.

Putting his two fingers onto Karu's neck, he felt for a pulse.

Nothing.

"C'mon c'mon," He murmerd, putting his ear to his heart.

…………………_.Thump………………………Thump………………………Thump…………….Th-Thump………………………………_

Hiro sat up, releasing the air he had not realized he had been holding.

"Your alive." He whispered, "Just hang on…" Shifting his body, he put Karu's head onto his lap. Pulling out his cellphone he immeditaly dialed 911. Giving the information needed, he quickly turned his attention to Karu.

The bleeding still hadn't stopped, the time it would take for the ambulance to reach them from the hospital would take a good ten minutes. By then…

Hiro got up and rushed out to his car, opened the hood, and grabbed the First Aid. Going back to Karu's side, he carefully took of his coat. Underneath, his shirt was blood soaked, ruined for sure. He had been shot in the chest, a few inches away from his heart. He was lucky.

_Well, he's lucky for now if we get this bleeding stopped._

Bringing out the cotton pads and such, he quickly cleaned the wound and dressed it. After finishing that procedure, and re-dressing the bullet wound a few times, the bleeding finally stopped.

_I don't think his lungs was hit, or anything vital like that. Close, but not quite. He is a very lucky guy…_

Going back into a sitting position, he set Karu's head on his lap, using his ruined shirt as a pillow.

Karu didn't move, his face set in a pained frown.

Just as Hiro thought he had lost him for sure, for he could barely even see his breathing motions, he heard a small groan.

_____________________________________________________________________

Karu stood stock still, his small smile turned into a shocked expression.

_It hurts…._ He thought hazily, conscious of the men holding him, let go. Unable to hold his own weight, he felt himself fall too his knees all the way down.

Everything was starting to go black, barely conscious of the voices, he thought that somebody was shaking him and crying, but he wasn't sure. He wasn't sure of anything, really. Other than one thing: The pain. He could feel himself starting to get wet. It was a warm, sticky substance.

_Blood….._

But…. Losing this much blood meant a serious wound, which meant not being able to save Akeela.

_You have to get up!_ He shouted at himself, willing himself to get up. But it was no use, he didn't know which part of himself was his arms and which was his legs.

_Black… it's all black….._ He thought, he was falling…. Falling into darkness.

Soon, there was nothing.

However long it was, he had no idea. It felt like a long time, but he wasn't sure. He felt somebody moving him, and he tried to make a sound but nothing came out. He going in and out, only sometimes slightly conscious of what was happening too him. He felt somebody putting some stingy stuff on his wound, which made him want to hiss in pain and tell the guy who was doing that to back off. But then he'd drop out again.

Few minutes after the bleeding has stopped and the ambulance still hasn't arrived….

"Karu…. Karu, wake up."A voice said, bringing Karu out of consciousness. He slowly opened his eyes, trying to make the blurry figure stay put so he could get a good look at him. Slowly blinking away the blurriness, his eyes focused on the figure above him.

"Hiro…masa…" Karu murmured, recognizing his old buddy / head chief. "You…"

"Saved your sorry bottom? Yeah, I did. The girl was taken though, If I had pursued you would be dead right now." Hiro said, setting his head on the ground and standing.

_**(whoa, déjà vu right after another writing that sentence…. Weiiirdd. Hate that .)**_

Karu stared up at the man towering over him, he could feel a wave of "sleepiness" starting to overpower him, "I gotta go after her, chief. If we lose her now, we're not going to find her again. Those guys will be long gone"

Hiro stared down at Karu, observing that he still hadn't moved a bit. The pain must be great.

"Right, cuse your in the perfect condition to go chasing villains," The forty year old man said sarcastically, "What, you want me to give you five pain killers right now or something?"

Karu just laid there, looking at him expectantly. "I expect exactly that. If you don't do it, I will."

Hiro scratched the back of his head for a moment, then glared down at him, "Yeah, I'd like to see you drag yourself all the way to my car, that'd be a good laugh." He muttered, reaching for his cell phone.

"Hey, yeah um, we won't be needing that ambulance anymore."

There was a pause, and then Hiro almost started laughing, hanging up he glanced down at a confused Karu. "Good thing your alive and not bled out, the ambulance is lost so it's no good too us anyway."

Karu rolled his eyes, "Great. That's a comforting thought. Now help me into your car so we can go after them."

"….Okay," Hiro hesitated a moment, then helped a groaning Karu too his feet, "Still want to go?" He asked, now serious. "This… is nothing…" Panted Karu, clutching the patch on his chest, "Let's go."

_______________________________________________________________________

Akeela sat very quietly in the backseat, not bothering to see where they were going. Yuki had just finished telling her that her mother was dead. Now Karu was dead. Silent tears trickled down her face, inside she was broken. Losing the most important person to her felt like somehow had hit her with everything they've got. She had felt for sure that her mother was alive.... and now...

_What am I going to do now…?_ She whimpered to herself, silently feeling the shard in her pocket. What she would give to save Karu, he had died all because of her! _I really am a monster now…. It's all my fault…_ she said to herself, lowering her head.

If only she could only somehow know that a very determined Karu was in hot pursuit, once again trying to rescue her from the hands of Yuri.

Akeela stared out the window, seeing the evening fall into darkness as it started to rain.

_What a horrible… rainy day……._

_**~Authors Note~**_

_**Hmm.... more planning to do.... well, I do have a basis. But if any of you reviewers have any ideas or suggestions, you can message them to me! I may not use them, but I might. Or use them to make somethign else.... anyway, food for thought.... kind of..... .**_

_**well ,I hopes you enjoyed the chapter. PLEASE REVIEW and tell me how you think the stories going so far!!**_

_**~Angel~  
**_


	10. A Wolfs Wrath

_**~Authors Note~**_

_**Hello my faithful readers! Here is your tenth chapter, I hope the suspense wasn't too much for you ^_^ **_

_**I want to give a huge thank you to Sangoscourage for helping me with this chapter!!! It was a huge boost. Thank you so much!**_

_**-this chapter was not 100% written by me, Sango helped with the ideas and wording :)- WRITTEN BY SANGO + ANGEL**_

_**(DISCLAIMER - while I'm at it... The original characters and places in Inuyasha are not mine whatsoever. They are ... the manga-ka's and anime creators)  
**_

::Back in the feudal age::

Gin sat in their home, staring into space as he ate the weird stew he had made. It had already been a whole day since Yuki and Akeela had left. They were only supposed to get checked on, and them come straight back.

He groaned in frustration and fell on his back. The only thing was, he wouldn't be able to go there to check up on them anyway. Yuki had the shard, which was the key to getting back and forth. Putting his bowl down he sighed again. He was starting to worry.

"Gin-san?" Asked a voice, it was Kaede.

"Come in."

Stepping inside, she sat down beside him. Noting his troubled expression, she asked him what the trouble was.

"Yuki hasn't come back. She's been gone since morning, it's taking too long."

"You think something hath happened?" **

Gin held his head, closing his eyes, "I don't know. I'm just getting uneasy."

Kaede nodded.

He opened his eyes and stared into the small fire, "I can't even get back there to see if their okay…" He murmered, tightening his hands into fists.

Kaede paused, as if unsure if what she was doing was right. "I… may have a solution to thy problems." She hesitated, Gin shot his look to her, straightening. "There is the main jewel, the round ball. Also, there is a shard that was underneath, embedded in the silver foundation of the jewel." Gin nodded, "That's the one that Yuki has?"

"Ye are correct." Kaede answered, "But, there is one more."

Gin looked surprised, "I did not know that."

The old lady shook her head, "Not many people even know of the second shard." Putting her hand in a pocket, she brought out her hand. Reaching for Gin's hand, she dropped a round ball into his hand. It was a mini version of the main Shikon Jewel.

"I am entrusting this to ye, only to get thy family. Ye must be very careful, ye are now in possession of 2 parts of the Shikon Jewel." Kaede said carefully, "Who knows what dangers ye may come across, seeking the power."

Gin clenched his hand, "I understand."

Packed and ready to go, he laid down that night. Ready too set out in the morning. Closing his eyes, he murmured, "Yuki… Akeela… be safe…"

::Back in the present::

The rain hadn't let up. It was a slight sprinkle, but enough to have Yuri turn on the windshield wipers.

Akeela sat stock still, glaring through the front windshield.

_It's their fault they are all dead. They don't deserve to live. How could they do that..?!?! Karu… mama………. Why'd they have to kill you?!_ She screamed at herself, clenching her fists.

The men on either side of her felt the atmosphere suddenly change, and the suddenly tense child between them.

"Hey, whats your problem?" He asked, feeling uneasy.

Akeela started trembled in her seat. Not in fear, but in anger. A slow rumble began to rise in her throat, and the men automatically pushed themselves against the door, leaning away from her.

Her body seemed to pulsate. She turned red, hate filled eyes towards them. "It's your fault that Karu is dead." She rumbled in a disoriented voice, baring her teeth.

"Oh crap… Yuri! Stop the car!" Blake shouted at the oblivious driver.

"What?! I'm…"

"Would you just stop?! The kid's freaking out!" The other man screeched, already undoing his seat belt. Neither of them felt very confident anymore.

Yuri slammed on the brakes, throwing them all forwards a little bit. He twisted in his seat to see what his companions were talking about. "What the…" He started to reply but was cut off as the young wolf hanyou lunged at him from the backseat, snapping the ropes _and_ her seatbelt. He gasped and flung his door open. He managed to evade most of Akeela's attack, but her claws had managed to slice into his shoulder.

The car was slowing to a stop by itself. The other men jumped out of the vehicle, running to stand by Yuri, their guns at the ready.

"What the heck _is_ she?!" Blake muttered under his breath.

Akeela slowly made her exit from the vehicle, all predator like. The three men backed away, not sure how to proceed.

"_**You… killed my mama… and Karu… you've taken everything that's precious too me." **_She growled, her red, hate filled eyes lingering on Yuri. He gulped, his hand clutching his shoulder.

Slouching down into a wolf like crouch, she snarled, _**"You'll pay for this."**_ She hissed under her breath.

The rain didn't bother them a bit. She looked even more threatening with the water dripping off of her ears, down her hair. The men took a few steps back, knowing by the look of hate on her face that she was not kidding in any way whatsoever.

Yuri stood behind the two burly men, "What are you waiting for, stop—" He was interrupted as Akeela lunged.

_____________________________

Karu sat in the passenger seat, trying not to pant or wince at every bump. Even though his shirt was ruined, he was freezing. In a slow and painful process, he finally got the stupid thing on. During that time, he was positive that he almost fell unconscious, but another bump jolted him awake. Hiromasa wearily looked at him out of the corner of his eye, "You sure your okay?" He asked hesitantly.

Karu gasped as they hit a deep pothole, "Y-yeah, super dooper." He gritted through his teeth, furiously blinking the blurriness away. Hiromasa snorted, "You look like you could die right now. Your sweating, and you look half unconscious." He said, serious now.

"I told you, I'm going to save Akeela. Even if it kills me."

Hiromasa shook his head, "I don't understand how you can already risk your life for her, and be so worried, when you've been with her a day." He muttered.

Karu shrugged, and immediately regretted doing so, "Don't ask me. I just feel I can't leave her alone. Not until I know she's safe." He panted, clutching at his chest again. It was throbbing so bad, and he thought it may have started bleeding again.

Driving in silence for another 15 seconds, they slowed up. The kidnappers vehicle was up ahead, unmoving. The doors were wide open.

Stopping a good few feet behind the enemy's vehicle, Hiromasa stepped out, eyeing the area. Karu limped out, using Hiromasa's shoulder for support. Walking closer, they saw a few pieces of clothing, and blood. Karu shivered, the rain had started to pick up a little bit, blinking away the droplets on his eyelashes, he looked forward a little bit.

There were blood marks, all seeming to trail across the ground into the wooded area. Karu turned his confused gaze to Hiromasa. "Don't look at me. I have no idea what's going on." He said in a grave voice. "Whatever it is, it isn't good."

Quickly taking a peek in the drivers side, they saw blood in there too. Looking in the backseat, they saw ropes on the floor and a very broken seatbelt. They had been broken by force. They looked at each other, understanding lighting in their eyes.

Just then the chief and Karu heard two blood curdling scream. Hiromasa quickly supported Karu's weight and they ran towards the sound, bracing themselves for whatever scene awaited them. Coming around a huge tree, what they saw made the two men go pale.

There on the ground, lay two badly mutilated bodies, blood surrounding them. A few feet further, a young demon girl was about to finish off Yuri.

"Stop!" Karu choked out, raising his hand out to her. He took a few steps in front of Hiromasa.

Akeela started and whipped around, snarling.

Karu and Hiromasa took a small step back. Her eyes were blood red, and her claws had extended, blood dripping off of the ends. They were obviously very lethal. Her hair seemed to be a darker shade, and she had two strange marks on the side of her chin down neck a little bit. She definitely was not her normal self.

_She's not a monster….. she's not a monster… everybody else called her a monster. But I never did. I still won't._

Her eyes lingered on Hiromasa, then turned back to Karu, confusion entering her eyes.

"_**Who are you?" **_She growled, never letting her strong grip on Yuri's collar let loose. Karu looked closely and saw his chest rise and fall, he was still alive.

"Akeela… Akeela stop… it's me. You have to stop." Karu started to call out, trying to stop the hanyou. He took a small step forward. Those eyes were very intimidating.

She growled even more, _**"Who—are—you—"**_

Karu almost narrowed his eyes, "I'm Karu."

Akeela looked hopeful for a moment, but quickly hid the look, _**"Karu is dead."**_ She growled, not as menacing though.

"Not now, he isn't." Karu said softly.

He saw Akeela taking in the blood soaked shirt, his unsteady legs.

A half-dead sounding chuckle sounded, Yuri opened his eyes, "He's dead all right. I killed him myself." He purred, if he was going to die, she was going to take them with him.

Akeela started shaking, her eyes turning even redder.

"_**Shut… up!!!"**_ She screamed, throwing the despicable man against the nearest tree. Yuri was already pretty torn up, including his already torn up shoulder. He probably had a dislocated shoulder now as well.

"Akeela! You have to stop!" Karu panicked, walking towards her. Limping, he realized he was bleeding again, he was feeling woozy. Pain sliced through his upper torso as he took each step, but he tried to ignore it.

"Karu…" Hiromasa said uneasily, shifting from one foot from another.

"Go arrest Yuri." Karu said under his breath, taking one slow step after another.

"Akeela," He said softly, now three feet away from her.

She spun around to face him, and he almost whimpered. In one fluid motion, she swung out her arms and clawed him across his stomach, sending him flying against a tree.

"Karu!" Hiromasa shouted, running towards Akeela, bringing out his gun. Before he was even close to shooting, he too was clawed and thrown against another tree.

The white bandage that was wrapped around his upper torso, started to turn red, and he felt himself getting dizzy. Coughing, blood spattered the ground beneath him. Everything was moving when it shouldn't be. Looking up, he groggily saw Akeela stalking towards him. Forcing himself to stand, she stopped.

"Akeela stop...it's me...." Karu whispered, desparate.

His only answer was a vicious snarl, she crouched again. He softened his gaze, and walked towards Akeela as she lunged.

Hiromasa looked up dizzily from where he lay, "Karu…."

Akeela's claws went through his shoulder, but he didn't back away. Kneeling to her height, he slowly, painfully wrapped his arms around the small girls shoulders.

"It's… okay…" Karu murmered into her hair. He was starting to fade, again.

Akeela stood, frozen to the spot. She didn't expect that.

"Akeela, it's okay. You can stop… Yuri is taken care of." He whispered, his voice breaking. "You can… stop."

He slowly, painfully felt Akeela withdraw her claws from his right shoulder, and he inhaled sharply. Waiting for the final blow, nothing came. He only felt two small arms slowly wrap themselves around his torso, making him wince.

"Karu…." Akeela whimpered, before falling unconscious into his arms. He exhaled slowly. It was over. She was back to normal, no more weird marking, and her hair was the usual shade. Well, everything was the same except her being unconscious. Cradling her in his arms, he slowly stood up, fighting off the dizziness and pain. Staggering back to where Hiromasa was crumpled up in front of the tree, he took his handcuffs off. Laying Akeela down beside the chief, he stumbled over to Yuri, who was now unconscious, and chained him to the nearest tree. He tried to ignore the bodies.

Barely able to stand, he realized that both vehicles were gone.

He stood, staring blankly. _There were more… men?_

Realizing his situation, he groaned. _I have to carry…._ He groaned again.

Making himself stand tall, he struggled to walk in a straight line to Hiromasa and Akeela. Putting Akeela over his bad shoulder, he exhaled sharply, but ignored it. Next step… he grabbed Hiromasa's arm and used all of his strength to haul the chief up to his height, putting his arm around his neck.

Wow, heavy.

Panting, blood starting dripping down his arm and from his shirt onto the ground. He tried to ignore everything.

Putting on foot in front of another, he slowly staggered down the dirt road, back to the main paved road. He almost fell a few times, once he almost dropped Hiromasa.

Karu heard a small groan, and he barely had the strength to look over. "Your…. Awake…" Karu huffed. Hiro groaned, trying to get his bearings.

"Karu…?" He murmered, "What the heck are you doing…"

Karu stumbled again, struggling to get his footing. "Saving your sorry bottom, that's what." He wheezed, his breathing was coming out in ragged breaths.

"Your gonna…. Kill yourself….." Hiromasa muttered, trying to gather his feet beneath himself but didn't find the strength.

"You… hit… a nerve…. Non-paralyzation to the… legs…. Broken ribs…" Karu whispered under his breath, black dots starting to appear.

"No wonder……" Hiro said groggily, "T-thanks… Karu.." He said before falling unconscious again.

Stumbling along for another 5 minutes, Karu heard the most heavenly sound ever. It was the sound of a siren, an ambulance. It sped over the hill he was about to attempt climbing up. He kept walking, afraid that if he stopped walking he would tip over.

The ambulance slammed on it's breaks, immediately spotting the bloodied man carrying the even bigger, broken man and small little girl. The driver practically dived out of it's seat, rushing to his aid.

"What the--, sir!" The man said in a panic as Karu started too collapse. Barely able to hold himself up, the mans companion, a young lady, hefted Hiromasa off of his shoulder. Mentally sighing, he let himself fall, barely conscious. The man barely had time to catch him and Akeela.

Karu barely heard the paramedic, it was something colorful though. "What the-------, what in the world _happened_ to this guy?! An how far has he been lugging these two for?" After some more muttering, Karu gladly accepted the darkness.

___________________________________________

"Karu…? Karu? Karu!" A small voice probed, bringing him out of his daze. _Whaddya want? _Karu thought groggily, _I'm trying to sleep. _He growled too himself.

It only took a moment for him too realize what had happened. His eyes shot wide open, and hand immediately resisted him from sitting up, thank goodness.

"Karu?" Asked a timid voice, the small hands holding him down belonged to Akeela. She was sitting on a chair beside his bed, in a small white nightgown looking thing. Quickly taking in his surroundings in one sweep, he recognized the very white room as a hospital room.

"I thought I was…." Karu said, almost confused. Akeela's eyes opened in fear, and her hands clenched the sheets which she clung too.

"In the… box, they had to 'bring you back' twice." She whispered, tears starting to form under her eyes again, "They said they didn't know how your still alive."

Karu almost smiled, _I guess I really couldn't leave her until I knew she was 100% safe._

"It's all my fault…" Akeela whimpered, hiding her face with her hands, "Those bad men… you… your friend… I hurt them all… I'm a—"

"Don't even say it, Akeela."

She turned a tear-streaked face up to Karu, her face crumpling up.

"Your not…a monster…" He said, realizing It still took him too breaths to say one stupid sentence, "You had every right to be angry. You couldn't help yourself. It was better them, then yourself."

Akeela slowly nodded, even so, he noticed a strange glint in her eyes, as if she wasn't totally satisfied, even so.

"And as for Yuri," She tensed at the name, "He'll be locked up for a very, very long time. He will be dealt with." Karu assured her.

Akeela could only nod, and she gave him a big hug, forgetting about his wounds for a moment. He tried not to say anything, wincing.

"I'm… sorry…. I hurt you…" She sobbed. Karu just stroked her hair, fighting back the fatigue. After a few moments she quieted down, and she sat back to stare at him.

"Karu—" She started to say, but was interrupted by a shout of, "Akeela!" And a pair of strong arms whipping her up into a bear hug, lifting her off of the ground.

Tensing, she tried to squirm out of his arms, and automatically, she looked desperately at Karu. Karu, obviously thinking that he was a 'bad man', as Akeela put it, launched himself out of the bed, reopening most of his wounds, and whipped her out of the other mans arms. Struggling to stay standing, he held her closely, shielding her with his body.

The man didn't fight back, only stood in shock. His once happy face turned into a frown, "Akeela… you've already… forgotten…me….?" He asked hesitantly, hurt and confused.

She allowed herself a good look at the man, squirming in front of Karu a little bit, her eyes widened.

"Papa….?"

_**Few! Yuri is now out of the way. OH! I noticed in the last chapter I kept spelling 'Yuri' as 'Yuki'. Yuki = mom, Yuri = idiot. Not sure why I chose such identical names... oops anyway.**_

_**I HOPES YOU ENJOYED THE CHAPTER!! Please review and tell me how it turned out ^_^ **_

_**~Angel~**_

_**ps. I do not plan on ending this soon. We've got another good few chapters ahead of us I do believe :) Just thought I'd throw that out there, and if that makes you happy TELL ME so I don't cut it short lol.  
**_


	11. Forgotten?

_**~Authors note~**_

_**Hii!! I'm still alive, I swear!! I sorry for the incredibly late update, I was gone on holidays and had no access to a computer So anyway, here is your update! 17 pages long!! BE HAPPY OR ELSE!! ^.^ hm... strange... this document seems too shrink up everything... oh well. **_

_**Anyway, please enjoy your chapter! and Review! ^_^**_

_**(I want to thank Sango again for her continuous support and ideas! Their amazing and give me those little boosts I need!)  
**_

Akeela peered anxiously at the tall man before her. He was just barely over 6 feet tall, with wavy raven-black hair and brown eyes, with black ears he hadn't bothered on hiding. There were bags under his eyes, and worry lines.

Karu stood shakily in a defensive position in front of Akeela, if they didn't get this over with soon, he was going to collapse.

"Akeela… its me. It's really me." Gin said, his voice catching.

The scared little wolf-demon stared at her father. "D-daddy…" She said, tears pooling under her eyes. Before she could launch herself into Gins waiting arms, Karu stepped in between them, making his presence more pronounced.

"Who are you?" Karu asked evenly, carfully keeping the pain out of his voice.

Gin brought his attention to the man blocking the view of his daughter, narrowing his eyes. He eyed the man, he was almost his height. His hair was a darker blonde than Akeela's, and dark chocolate eyes.

Gin growled under his breath, "She is my daughter. Why is she with you?" He was surprised when Karu didn't shudder from the growl. Most humans were afraid of a small thing like that.

"I saved her and have been watching her ever since she got here." As he was speaking, he realized he didn't know how long he had been unconscious. Hours? Days?

Gin narrowed his eyes even more. Two days… and saved her from what? Akeela piped up, "Someone captured mama, but she told me to run away and I heard a weird sustained beep. Then more… police chased after me, and Karu saved me. Then more bad men chased me and he came and saved me again with his friend." She took a deep breath.

Gin had to sit down on the edge of the mans bed, his head was swimming. She said that she had heard a sustained beep. He put his head in his hands, a few tears dripping down his face. Since realizing Yuki's condition, he had read a few books about the machines they used to monitor their condition. A sustained beep… was the patients heart beat.

Yuki was dead. And he couldn't bring her back.

It had sounded like the man, Yuri, had been trying an experiment on her. Unconsciously a low growl rumbled up his throat. How dare he. How _dare_ he!

"Karu?" Asked a frightened voice, "Karu? Are you okay? Karu?"

"I… should lay down." Replied a weak voice.

Raising his head, Gin realized he was taking up the one half of the bed, not able to let Karu lay himself down. He was leaned against the wall, his face ashen. The bandages around his torso were a bright red.

His eyes went wide. Obviously, Akeela was well. Why else would they be here? The man, Karu, was injured. Hence him laying in bed. He mentally shook his head, _I'm definitely losing it._

Squeaking his way past Akeela, he helped Karu lay down comfortably. "Thanks." Karu gasped out, wrapping his arm around his torso.

At once, Karu noticed Akeela and Gin's ears perk up. He was about to ask what was wrong, but soon heard the faint sound of footsteps coming down the hall. The wolf-demon was about to dart into the bathroom, but Karu stopped him. "We'll just say you're a visitor. And… droop down your ears or something." He ordered, not wanting to get people suspicious.

Karu's main doctor walked through the door, charts in hand.

"Good day, Karu—" The man stopped, observing the new addition to the room. He covered his hesitance quickly, "Ah, more visitors I see."

"Yes." Karu whispered.

The doctor examined him, surprised when he saw the red bandages. "How on earth did you manage that?" He asked, not a rhetorical question. Karu sheepishly grinned, "Not sure."

The doctor was about to start taking off the bloodied bandages, then remembered the man. "Would you like to step out?" He asked politely. Gin raised his brow, the doctors back to him. "That is fine, I'll stay."

The doctor nodded, being careful was he unraveled the red bandages. Gin inhaled sharply. He had a hole in his chest, a stab wound in his shoulder, and…

Gin closed his eyes.

_Claw marks across his torso._

Akeela had not mentioned any of these… conflicts. Opening his eyes, he saw that Karu's were closed, his mouth set in a grim line.

"You shouldn't move." The doctor hinted, starting to work on re-patching him up. Karu just nodded. Finished with the dirty work, the doctor went and washed his hands. "You shouldn't stay very much longer," He advised, "He needs his rest." And with that he walked out.

Gin ignored the advice and sat down. When visiting hours were up and the nurse came to shoo them out, Karu asked very kindly that he wanted them to stay. It made him feel better, which the nurse reluctantly obliged to.

It was late, Akeela had fallen asleep on Gin's lap, and he and Karu spoke quietly, careful not to wake her.

"Karu…" Gin said, the mans eyes opened, craning his head too look at him. "Thank you… I owe you my life for taking care of my daughter. With her… obvious differences, I am very thankful you took her in. I am forever in your debt."

Karu just smiled, "Your welcome, I am just relieved that she is safe. She went through a lot for just a small girl."

Gin felt very sober, his gaze turning to grief. "So did you." He muttered, remembering the claw marks. "I… don't know how you stopped it, you only being a human."

Karu immediately knew what he was talking about. "Even though it was… startling and almost revolting," He took in a deep breath, remembering the bodies. "I remembered that there was a small, scared child underneath all of that. So I just pried and pushed and didn't give up until the real her emerged." His voice started to get drowsy. "The only bad thing about all of this, Is that since I 'betrayed' the police, I doubt I'll be able to keep my job much longer." He muttered, frowning.

Gin was quiet, thinking through his trail of thought. "You could… come with us." He whispered, Karu's droopy eyes shot open and focused on him, "Akeela is quite… attached to you. With me being gone a lot and her mother gone…" His voice trailed off.

Karu stared at the ceiling, "The feudal era, huh?"

"I won't make you choose tonight, you can sleep on it."

"Thanks, I will."

"Goodnight." Gin whispered in the darkness, the only light provided being the monitors. Shifting Akeela in his lap and making himself more comfortable, he closed his eyes and fell asleep quickly.

_____________________________________

The next morning, Karu had made his decision. He would go back. Why not? In the future, if he stayed, he would always wonder "Why didn't I go with them? What have I to lose?" The only thing he would miss would be Hiromasa, his faithful friend through trails and tribulations. That crazy man had always backed him up, no matter what.

He saw Gin stir and open his eyes. Waiting until he was fully awake he said, "I'll go with you."

It was 8am, the nurse came in to check on him, slightly surprised to still see Gin and Akeela there.

"Ma'am, I would like to go outside for a little while. Is that possible?" Karu asked ever so kindly, gazing up at the now flushing nurse.

"Erm… well, I suppose so." Karu's eyes lit up, "B-but, you will have to be in a wheelchair. I doubt you could stand on your own for very long." His eyes immediately went downcast but consented.

Eating a very… weird, bland meal, they headed outside. Gin pushed Karu out to the small park outside, Akeela hanging on to the side bar of the wheelchair. Lucky for them, in the lost and found pile was a baseball cap. Perfect for hiding Gins subtle ears.

It was a beautiful day out, the wind breezed through the tree's, stirring up the fresh smell of rain.

Karu and Gin watched Akeela play with herself, starting to get hot in the long hoody that Akeela was wearing. She startled a squirl up the tree, and started circling at the bottom, trying to get a better view.

They had been out there for a whole ten minutes, when their peace was shattered.

A shrill scream, no, not scream, shriek, pierced the air. Gin and Akeela jumped, startling Karu.

"Whats wrong?" He asked, bewildered. Gin was so confused, _Spirits? Karu can't see them because he's human… why are they mad? Why are they here?_

Straining his eyes, he searched the air closely, motioning a startled Akeela over to him. Holding her close, he spoke. "Spirits. You can't hear them because your human and from this age. Since we're more… compatible with spirits where we come from, its easier for us to see and hear them." He explained in a low whisper. A sudden movement brought his attention to ten yards in front of them, above a tall, filled out tree.

"It's here." He whispered, "Keep her close."

The spirit charged then, it's face twisted in fury. It's form was very… wrong. It looked partly human and partly demon, twisted into one body.

"Give me the power!!" It shrieked, it's eyes full of greed and lust.

_Power…?_

Releasing a small amount of his power, he extend the claws in his left hand and quickly thrust them at the creature. It shrieked as it was pierced, and slowly start to fade away.

"The power… the jewels… give it to me!" It whimpered before fading away into nothing.

Quickly retracting his claws, it finally made sense. The wandering spirits on this earth still wanted power, even in this day and age. The Shikon Jewel must have drawn it out.

But… it said… jewels…

"Oh, daddy, here's my jewel." Akeela said, remembering the shard in her pocket. Thrusting it out to Gin, it glinted a vibrant color on the ground.

"_I am entrusting this to ye, only to get thy family. Ye must be very careful, ye are now in possession of two parts of the Shikon Jewel." Kaede said carefully, "Who knows what dangers ye may come across, seeking the power."_

So that's what she had meant, the wandering spirits on the earth wanting the power to become stronger. They couldn't chance more attacks from spirits, it may expose what they really were.

He looked back to a watching, and slightly confused Karu. But he was going, but in no condition to go with them. If he went with them, he may not get the proper medical attention he needs.

Thinking as he walked he said, "We should go inside. I have an idea."

Getting settled once again in his hospital bed, Karu stared at Gin expectantly. "What's this idea of yours?"

He stated the obvious, "We have two very powerful shards in our possession. Luckily we've only been attacked by one spirits so far, but it will continue and the numbers will increase." Karu nodded, he could understand that. "Your in no condition to go back with us, so we can't go back yet." Karu nodded again, seeing the problem. "But that doesn't mean I can't go back, with the two shards." He explained further, this really caught Karu's attention and he leaned forward despite the uncomfortable tug on his chest, "You would go back with the shards? How would I get back? Would you take Akeela?"

Gin shook his head, "You could… babysit Akeela. I do have pressing matters at the moment. I would come back in one weeks time, you can't get back to the feudal age without the shards. So I'd come with one of them and take you back with me, you would be slightly healed by then I would think, enough to not die for sure." He laughed at this, making Karu frown.

"So, what do you think?" Gin pressed, quite impressed with himself of such a good plan he made up in that short amount of time.

Karu thought on it for a few minutes, going over options and what not. After awhile he sighed, "I guess that's the only option. We'll wait, you go, you come back and get us. We all happy." He said dryly. Gin laughed, and pointed his attention at a confused Akeela. Kneeling at her level, he said, "Honey, I'm going to be going for a few days, just too keep you safe. I'll be back though, don't you worry."

Akeela's face immediately turned fearful and she jumped onto his lap, "Promise?"

Gin smiled, "Promise."

He hugged her gently, "You take care of Karu, alright?" Akeela nodded eagerly, then another thought came to her. "What about mama daddy? Is she going with you?"

Karu tensed, noticing the immediate stiff atmosphere.

Gin hid his face for a second and recomposed his expression, turning back to Akeela, he had a tender smile on his face. "Akeela… mom isn't going to go with either of us. She… left."

Akeela looked sort of sad and nodded, "Okay… well… when will she be back?" That one simple question tore Gin's heart in two. "She's.. nnot coming back, darling. You… you know that place where we put those pretty flowers?" Akeela's eyes lit up, remembering the fun times her mother and she had picked flowers to put on graves. That's where they buried people who had passed on, mama had said. Nodding, Gin continued, "Well honey… you can put flowers on your mother now." A slow realization dawned on her, "I… I have to pick the flowers by myself? And lay them down in my own design?" She asked slowly, solemn. Gin nodded. "I.. I guess that's okay."

Gin let out a slow breath, she still did not understand, not really. It would dawn on her, sooner or later. "That's right honey. And I'm sorry, but I have to go now. I can sense some disturbance in the air, spirits are gathering."

Gin stared into Karu's eyes, "You take care of her, got it?"

Karu gave a small 'tch', but gave him a small smile, "Of course."

Gin nodded, and with one last long hug and words of "I love you," He was out the door.

A week passed, and Akeela waited eagerly at the window of the hospital. She was getting restless. "Dad comes home today, Karu!" She said excitedly. Karu smiled, now sitting up, alone with his thoughts.

She continued to stand there, gazing out the window. After awhile, her legs got tired and she dragged a chair over to the window and sat down. Another couple hours passed by, she played cards with Karu, and he told her stories. She soon fell asleep. After going outside later, and walking around for a while, night fell.

Gin still hadn't showed up. Akeela had fallen asleep long ago, but Karu still lean up against his pillows, awake, straining his ears for any sound. Nothing.

A few more days, Akeela started asking questions, she was getting even more restless. "Where's dad, Karu? He should be here by now?" She asked this often, almost to herself. Another week passed by, Karu decided he was sick of the hospital and ready to go home. He was really worried though, Where was Gin? Didn't he need to come back and get Akeela and himself?

The hospital let him go home, but made sure that if he suffered any discomfort to call right away. It took a bit of coaxing to get Akeela to go back to his house. She was worried that her dad wouldn't be able to find them. Just I case, Karu left a note at the hospital if they saw the man, to give them their address.

Another week went by. It had now been three weeks since Akeela's dad had went back to the feudal era. To keep her memory fresh, Karu had Akeela tell him all about what she did with her mom and dad during the day while he rested. With a saddening heart, he realized that she was already getting comfortable with her dad not coming back, the questions didn't come as much. She was getting accustomed to this. Of course she would stay with him, either way, he had given his word to keep her safe. He had made that resolution a long time ago.

A month passed, and he had finally given up hope. He talked to Hiromasa, and he was still able to keep the 'secret' a 'secret', and he still had a job to pay the bills. Of course, he had to live off of his savings. He couldn't get a babysitter for Akeela, for obvious reasons. Hiromasa visited often, playing with Akeela and visiting.

Karu was used to this now, he started to work three days a week, taking Akeela with him. It was all starting to fit together. Hiromasa even had a close friend who was a lawyer. Without a fuss, Karu had adoption papers stating he was now Akeela's father. No questions were asked about the lack of information on Akeelas side (talk about close friends!!). Of course she consented, she had been explained to that Gin was probably not coming for them. Which put her down in the dumps, but… she still agreed to everything.

Everything was practically perfect, even though she was a half wolf-demon.

_~9 years later~_

"Hey Akeela! Want to go for a run?" Called Karu from downstairs.

Akeela's eyes snapped open from her short nap, her eyes not yet coordinated. "You say something?" She asked, yawning.

"Run?"

"Oh! Sure, gimmi a second." She called, jumping from on her bed. She grabbed a brush and quickly pulled her hair back into a pony tail. Grabbing her other brush she fixed out the tangles in her tail. Although she was the only half-demon on the planet, she didn't mind the tail and ears. Adored them really, she thought they made her look cute. They were... apart of her. Since she hadn't been able to go back home, at least she had something from it.

Nine years. Nine, long years. Her father, Gin, had not made a single appearance. Karu had told her that after two months of waiting, he had given up completely.

She still remember lot's of events that happened, even though it was pretty hazy. She could remember the last words her father had said to her: "I love you. I'll see you soon." She could remember Karu saving her a multiple of times.

Realizing she was dawdling, she ran down the stairs and almost ran into the patiently waiting Karu.

"Can't think and walk at the same time?" He asked dryly, a grin quirking up at one side of his mouth. He had learned that whenever she took more than five minutes to get ready for anything, she had gotten lost in her thoughts.

"Oh shush," She said playfully. Yup, nine years. She was fourteen now, and Karu was 34. He always sulked every time they celebrated his birthday. "I'm double your age, and some." He would always say, frowning.

"Now what you thinking about?" He asked, reaching for the door knob and handing her her cute trenchcoat.

"Thanks," She said reaching for the coat. "Just thinking about how old your getting." She teased, ducking from Karu's playing punch. They stepped outside, it was an overcast day. Perfect, not too hot.

They always walked down to the abandoned warehouses, nobody was ever around so Akeela didn't have to wear her hat and coat. Besides that, there was tons of room for _running._ Karu was thrilled that Akeela loved running. They trained together and kept in shape. Besides the running, Karu had Akeela homeschool, and he had her learn swordmanship (well, he learned himself and than taught her), archery, and the history of her time, stuff about medicinal and herbs, stuff she would need to learn if she ever got back.

"I know it's a huge longshot, but just in case. You should still know how to survive if you had lived then." Karu would explain, and she didn't complain. She enjoyed it really.

After running for awhile through the wide paved road beside the warehouses, they slowed to a walk, resting. She sighed and stared up at the sky.

_Dad… why haven't you come back?_

_**~Authors note~ _LOL almost put Angels note... AGAIN!_**_

_**Wow O_o.... there's no... cliffhangar?!?!?! *readers don't know what to do with themselves***_

_**Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I hope it wasn't too rushed or boring or anything like that :S PLEASE REVIEW and tell me what you thought of it, are you all still enjoying it!?!? I hope so :)**_

_**~Angel~  
**_


	12. Returning Home

_**~Authors Note~**_

_**Hello!! I am still alive!! I was.... well, I'm not even going to make up an excuse lol. Here's your chapter, enjoy!!  
**_

Chapter 12

It was a beautiful morning. Soft, puffy clouds slowly flitted through the sky, the breeze gently pushing them along.

Akeela yawned, stretching in her too-small bed. Her tail somehow manages to hang over the edge, which gives her small kitten something to play with.

"Meow", Mew said, hopping onto her lap and started purring.

"Mm, morning Mew." Akeela answered, getting out of bed and laying Mew on her pillow. She changed her clothes and threw on a white t-shirt and jeans. Walking over to the mirror, she stared at the reflection.

She was different then other people, obviously. Having ears, and a tail. Even her fangs poked out sometimes!

Akeela brushed through her hair, _Because of my ears and tail… people called me a monster, freak, that kind of stuff…. Karu was the only one who never called me a monster. He accepted me for who I am._ She smiled, and grabbed a different brush and started stroking her white tail. Glancing in the mirror again, she stared at the eyes that stared back. One blue, one brown. She had gotten asked about that often+, since Karu's eyes were a different shade of blue.

Fully ready for the day, she stepped out of her room. Then she remembered._ It's Saturday! Karu is home!_ Grinning mischievously, she turned the corner and opened the door on the left very quietly.

"Huh?" Akeela was confused, the bed was made (if you could call it that). Suddenly, a pair of strong hands grabbed her shoulders. Reflectively, she grabbed the wrists and threw the figure over her back. As the figure went over, it twisted itself so it landed on its feet. Akeela could hear her heart thumping quickly, and her breath had quickened.

The figure stood up, grinning. He walked into the light and passed Akeela, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Well done, Akeela. Even after a week you still haven't gotten dull." Karu praised, walking down the stairs.

Akeela stood still for a moment, calming her heart. They had been doing this ever since she was little, training her. He would randomly "attack" her, and she would have to defend herself. It wasn't on a based schedule so she wouldn't get in a habit.

Putting her foot on the first step down the stairs, she caught a familiar scent. Bounding down the stairs, the doorbell rang and the door opened up cautiously. Even though she was bounding, she was very quiet. Falling onto all fours, she lunged herself at the frozen figure standing in the doorway.

"Uncle Hirooo~~!" She shouted gleefully, landing in his arms and wrapping her arms around his neck.

Hiro grinned, grunting. "Akeela, your 14, aint you a bit old to come barreling down an old man?" He teased, carrying her into the house.

"Aren't," She corrected, "And no, you're never to old to 'barrel down old men'". She said, grinning as she hopped out of his arms. She recognized the scent of bacon and eggs coming from the kitchen.

"Akeela, are you beating up Uncle Hiro again?" Called a voice from the kitchen.

Hiro took off his coat, "It's Hiromasa to you." He grumbled, stalking off to the kitchen, "Besides that, do you have enough to feed me?" He asked.

Karu laughed, his blond hair shaking slightly, "Of course. I always make enough for three just in case. Then if you don't show up Akeela eats your share."

"Hey!"

The sat in the living room, their stomachs full. "So Hiro, what brings you here so early today? You usually sleep in on Saturdays." Karu asked, kicking up his feet on the coffee table.

Hiro sat still for a moment, a serious expression overcoming his usual teasing face. "I found a clue to where that well is. Since neither of us had any idea where we were."

When Akeela had gotten kidnapped by those men, Karu had followed, ignoring the signs since he was following the dot on the GPS. That's the same for Hiromasa. Great policemen, eh? They had no idea where they had went, so they couldn't find the well where Akeela had emerged from.

Akeela and Karu leaned forward, curiousity covering their features. Hiromasa continued, "At lunch one day while you were on parole, one of the men had chased a guy down this road he never went on. With his descriptions, it sounded like the road we went on. It isn't used much, kind of out of the way. So I got the directions ." He finished, taking a deep breath. Akeela leapt up, "Uncle Hiro, Karu, can we go? Can we?" She asked, a pleading look on her face. With her ears slightly down and those big eyes of hers, who could say no to that anyway? Karu smiled, "Of course Akeela, I wasn't planning on saying no. Grab your coat and hat."

**~At the Higurashi residence~**

Kagome ate her breakfast, enjoying the company of her family. She hadn't been home in awhile, and had missed them. "I have to go after I eat, mom. Can you pack a lunch?"

"Of course dear," Mrs. Higurashi answered, continuing eating.

Her brother frowned, "Your leaving already? You've only been here for a few days." He complained.

Kagome smiled and mussed up his hair, "I know, but if I stay too long the others will worry. I'll be back soon enough, don't worry."

Finishing up the meal, Kagome hurried and packed and walked to the well house. Outside, Souta was playing with something on the ground. Hearing footsteps, he jumped up, an empty bottle in his hands.

"Hey sis! I like these shard looking things you have, are you taking them with you?" He asked.

Kagomes eyes went wide, recognizing the shikon shards. "Souta! I was looking for those! Why are you playing with them?! Their very important! Help me put them back in the jar before they get lost!" She exclaimed, panicking.

Souta's face fell, "I-I'm sorry, I just thought that they were rocks."

Kagome took a deep breath as she started gathering them up, "It's… okay. You didn't know, its fine. Just don't do it again, okay?" She said. Souta immediately perked up and helped gather them.

"All right, that's all of them. Bye sis!" He said, waving as she jumped into the well, barely able to fit with her huge backpack. Outside, the sun glinted off of the ground, casting a small purple shadow.

**~Back at Akeela's house~**

Hat on, trench coat on, check. They hopped into the vehicle and sped off.

"If you are able to go back, will you?" Asked Hiromasa, his shoulders slumping a bit.

Karu hesitated, "Only if Akeela would want too."

Akeela thought for a moment. It was nice here, the advanced technology, the food, houses, everything. But… she didn't belong here. And she never would.

"I want too."

Karu nodded, "If she goes, I'm going with her." Hiromasa nodded slowly, "We'll have to go over your belongings and such, then."

They jumped into a boring conversation about relastate and bank stuff, so Akeela tuned them out and looked out the window.

The scenery was turning more country, it was beautiful. Tall tree's grew high and proud, and stone walls were on either side of the road.

A memory flashed across her eyes. She and her mother had walked on this sidewalk!

"This is the right way, I remember this." Akeela informed them. "We should hop out, we're almost there, I think."

After walking down the sidewalk for a few minutes, they saw the stairs. "This is it!" Akeela shouted gleefully, and started running towards it, but stopped dead in her tracks.

Karu ran up behind her, "Whats wrong?" Akeela stood there, trembling slightly. "This is the place." She whispered. She had only told Karu, how she had almost lost it when she was surrounded.

Karu got the hint, "It's fine now, Akeela. You're fine. Let's go, come on, it's fine." He urged gently, pushing her along. Soon, they reached it to the top of stairs. They saw the big courtyard, the house, well house, and the huge tree.

"The well house," Akeela pointed, walking towards it.

Walking closer, they noticed a small boy kneeling, looking at something on the ground.

They all stopped, unsure of how to proceed. The boy looked up, startled.

"Oh, hello." Souta said, unsure of who these strangers were. He was slightly dazed at how beautiful the girl was, her eyes were dazzling.

"Hello, I am Karu. This is Hiromasa, and Akeela." Karu said, gesturing to his companions. "May we speak with your parents?"

Souta looked at them for a moment, "Um, sure. My moms here. I'm Souta by the way."

Opening the door, Souta said, "Mom! We have guests!" He shouted. A figure emerged from the kitchen. Akeela caught her breath._ This is the same lady that saw me when my hat blew off… when those men tried to capture me…_

"Oh, hello. How can I help you?" She asked, eyeing the strangers curiously, wiping her hands on a dish towel.

Karu bowed politely, "I apologize for intruding, but may we have a moment of your time?" He asked, looking up. He saw that the woman was staring at Akeela, confusion showing on her face.

"Ah… yes. Of course, please be seated. I am Mrs. Higurashi." She said, shaking her head slowly, as if clearing her mind. She led them to the living room, sitting down on the couch.

"What can I do for you?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.

"This… may sound strange, and not possible. But this girl got here through your well, we would like to see this well house." He hurried through the words, bracing himself for the laughter, or look of shock.

The mother only stared at Karu, then she drifted her look to the girl. "You are her, aren't you?" She asked softly, staring at her. "I would never forget those eyes, I knew I had seen you before. Your that girl that those men were after, with the ears." She said, almost whispering.

Karu looked confused as he looked between the two. Akeela nodded slowly, and took off her coat and hat, standing up.

The mother leaned back, gazing at her. The girl was beautiful, her sleek, light blond hair reached a little past her waist, her pure white ears and soft white tail contrasted perfectly with it.

"Ah, I see." She said softly, sitting straight. "So you are from the feudal age." She said, directing the question at Akeela. She nodded, "My mother and I arrived here nine years ago, coming through your well. My father went back, taking our… transportation with him. He never came back, so we are stuck here. We were hoping we could somehow find a way to get back, even without the shards." Akeela explained, then realized she had said 'the shards'. She was horrified, now this women knew how to get there!

The woman just nodded, "My daughter was taken there, she and her friends search for shikon jewels every day, that's how she comes back and forth, with the jewels they have found. She just left, actually, about ten minutes ago."

The threesome gaped at the woman, "Other. People. Go. There?" They asked, putting pressure on every word, they were shocked.

Mrs. Higurashi nodded, "Yes. When she gets back, she could take you both with her."

It was too good to be true, they thought.

"Actually, they could go right now." Souta said from the doorway, holding up a slightly dirty shikon shard, "I was playing with these and well… when we picked them up we missed one."

Akeela jumped up, gazing at them. _These ones are smaller then what we had… why?_

"Can we… take this too go back?" She asked, staring into the mothers eyes.

Mrs. Higurashi met her gaze, "Yes. I can see you're an honest girl. What about your mother? You said she went with you, right?"

Akeela's face turned to stone as she turned away, "My mother was experimented on and killed." She said stiffly.

Mrs. Higurashi was silent, "I'm… so sorry."

A few minutes later, they were inside the well house. "All Kagome does is jump inside will holding the jewel."

They nodded, and Karu turned to Hiromasa. "You still have those papers that we got ready a few weeks ago?" Hiro nodded, and he sighed. "I'm going to miss you two, y'know. You have to visit, alright?" Akeela gave him a big bear hug, "You'll always be Uncle Hiro… I love ya." She whispered, standing on the edge, "...Take care of Mew, okay?" She would miss that cat. Karu and Hiro shook hands, unspoken words passing between them. "We'll always be partners." They both said.

A few seconds later, all you saw was a flash, and they were gone.

**~Between the two worlds~**

Karu and Akeela held each others hand tightly, the shard in both their hands. Just like the first time Akeela had traveled in this, there were bright lights around them, dull and sparkly.

"Wow, this is… insane." Karu murmered, Akeela just nodded in agreement. Out of nowhere (literally), a hand appeared in front of Akeela. She swallowed a shriek and grabbed the hand tightly, wondering where the rest of the body was. There was slight vibration in the strange dimension, but they started feeling hard surface beneath their hands and feet. They were in the well, but what side?

Not bothering to look at who she was holding, Akeela grabbed Karus wrist and lunged the three of them to the top, out of the well. Landing, Akeela threw the unknown intruder to the ground and let her claws out, pushing them lightly against the figure. She growled as she took a good look at whoever she was pinning.

It was a girl, who's eyes were as big as saucers, a small whimper emerged from the frozen figure. She was pretty, with long black raven hair. She was wearing…….. the school uniform…. uh oh.

"Kagome!!!" A voice shouted, it was a mans… but not Karu.

She felt something ram into her in the side, she flew off of the girl. Struggling to get on her feet, she just barely blocked a pair of claws, interlocking them. It was a boy, with silvery hair and a red coat. He had… ears?

Wow, he looked mad.

Akeela looked passed him, "Kagome?" She asked, confused, "You're Kagome?"

Inuyasha tensed, and threw the girl back, "What do you want with Kagome, demon?" He growled, crouching.

"I-I have a shard to return her," Akeela stuttered, wow, he looked _really_ mad. "What's it too you, mutt?" She growled back. Then she noticed the figures beside 'Kagome', there was a little boy that looked like a fox demon, a monk, and a… girl warrior of some kind.

Inuyasha straightened, "A shard?" Weird, he didn't' respond to the word mutt.

"Yes, Karu and I used it to bring myself home. I got stuck over there."

Kagome got up and walked over to Akeela, standing by Inuyasha, she was staring intently at Akeela. "I… recognize you. Your eyes… your that little girl!"

Akeela sighed, impatient, "Yes, I am. Here's your shard." She said, tossing it to the boy. He caught it easily, surprise crossing his face. "You're…. not keeping it?" He asked, confusion and amazment crossing his features.

"…Yeah, why would I? It's not mine."

Suspision crossed his face, and he took a deep deep breath. Surprise took the place of suspicion, "You're… a half-demon?" He asked, shocked. She smelt like him, just... more girly.

Her ears flattened, "Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

He just shook his head, _She's the first half-demon I've met…._

Kagome smiled, at ease now, "Nothing is wrong, Inuyasha is a half demon too. Behind me is Sango, Miroku, and Shippo." She said, gesturing to the others. Karu went beside Akeela, tense.

"I am Akeela, and this is Karu. He's from the other side but wanted to stay with me."

Inuyasha's eyes went wide, as with Kagomes. "You mean… the daughter of Gin, the leader of the Black wolf clan?"

"He's not the leader anymore, I am." A voice sounded behind everybody. They all turned, it was Koga.

Koga caught sight of Akeela, and his heart thudded but he ignored it, "I am Koga. Your father has disappeared, girly."

_**~Authors Note~**_

_**yay! so you got your chapter. be happy :) AND THEY FINALLY GOT BACK! only took 12 chapters, but hey, that's not too bad. I hope your enjoying the story, please review! It's so encouraging to receive them.**_

_**and once again, a huge thank you to Sangoscourage, your a huge help! and to all my persistent reviewers, your amazin and I love ya! (hugs)  
**_


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